Do you have diabetes? If yes, Please be careful, and make sure that you don’t get any sores/wounds on your body. Because of your body’s inability to produce or use insulin. This hormone turns glucose or sugar into energy, but when your body struggles to metabolize it, sugar levels rise, affecting your wound-healing ability.
Also cuts, scratches and blisters can occur anywhere on the body, but the feet are one of the most common places of injury. Even a small wound on the foot can quickly develop into a foot ulcer and become a serious problem if left untreated. About 15 percent of people who have diabetes develop foot ulceration.
How diabetes affects wound healing?
High blood sugar levels
Your blood sugar level is the main factor in how quickly your wound will heal.When your blood sugar level is higher than normal, it:
- prevents nutrients and oxygen from energizing cells
- prevents your immune system from functioning efficiently
- increases inflammation in the body’s cells
These effects slow down wound healing.
Nerve Damage
Diabetes can cause nerve damage (neuropathy) which is most common in the hands and feet. This can cause affected area to loose sensation.So you may not be able to feel wounds when they occur. Consequently, the wound will worsen. A combination of already slow healing and reduced sensation in an affected area increases the risk of infection.
Poor blood circulation
People with diabetes are more likely to have peripheral vascular disease which cause poor blood circulation. Because of high blood sugar level, blood is more thicker and it’s very hard for your heart to push the blood to ends of your toes. Also it narrows your blood vessels, making it harder for blood to squeeze through, leads to poor blood circulation which cause wounds to heal slowly.
Immune system deficiency
Diabetes affects your immune system and prevents it from working properly. The number of immune fighter cells sent to heal wounds, and their ability to take action, is often reduced. So, automatically wound healing is slower and your risk of infection is higher.