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Diabetic foot ulcer is a breakdown of the skin and sometimes deeper tissues of the foot that leads to sore formation. It is thought to occur due to abnormal pressure or mechanical stress chronically applied to the foot, usually with concomitant predisposing conditions such as peripheral sensory neuropathy, peripheral motor neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy or peripheral arterial disease. [1]
Diabetic foot infection is any infection of the foot in a diabetic person. [2] The most frequent cause of hospitalization for diabetic patients is due to foot infections. [ 3 ] Symptoms may include pus from a wound, redness, swelling, pain, warmth, tachycardia , or tachypnea. [ 4 ]
Diabetic foot conditions can be acute or chronic complications of diabetes. [1] Presence of several characteristic diabetic foot pathologies such as infection, diabetic foot ulcer and neuropathic osteoarthropathy is called diabetic foot syndrome. The resulting bone deformity is known as Charcot foot.
Diabetic foot, often due to a combination of sensory neuropathy (numbness or insensitivity) and vascular damage, increases rates of skin ulcers (diabetic foot ulcers) and infection and, in serious cases, necrosis and gangrene. It is why it takes longer for diabetics to heal from leg and foot wounds and why diabetics are prone to leg and foot ...
[citation needed] Diabetics are more susceptible to cellulitis than the general population because of impairment of the immune system; they are especially prone to cellulitis in the feet, because the disease causes impairment of blood circulation in the legs, leading to diabetic foot or foot ulcers. Poor control of blood glucose levels allows ...
Any part of the foot can be affected by diseases, with symptoms ranging from mild aches to more serious pain hindering one's ability to walk or bear weight. Most minor cases of foot pain can be responded to by home care treatments. However, when severe pain is present, medical attention is required as it is a disabling condition.
Chronic ulcer symptoms usually include increasing pain, friable granulation tissue, foul odour, and wound breakdown instead of healing. [3] Symptoms tend to worsen once the wound has become infected. Venous skin ulcers that may appear on the lower leg, above the calf or on the lower ankle usually cause achy and swollen legs.
The mechanisms of diabetic neuropathy are poorly understood. At present, treatment alleviates pain and can control some associated symptoms, but the process is generally progressive. As a complication, there is an increased risk of injury to the feet because of loss of sensation (see diabetic foot).