Diabetic Wound Treatment: Impact, Treatment, and Prevention

People with diabetes often experience wounds that take longer than usual to heal. This slowed healing process during diabetic wound treatment can risk the development of infections and tons of other complications.

This can severely impact the patients. But how? Let us figure it out.

Impact of Diabetes on Wound Healing

Neuropathy

It is often regarded as one of the major causes of injury for people suffering from diabetes and also why diabetic wound treatment becomes complicated. After the nerves get destroyed due to high blood sugar, the nerves don't regenerate, meaning that patients with diabetes become severely less sensitive to the sensation of pain in their limbs.

Patients are unable to feel developing blisters, infections, and even changes in the existing wounds, because of the loss of sensation. This makes wound healing complicated since not only are they unable to feel the wounds that occur, but they also don't feel any pain that could indicate if the wound is getting infected or worse.

Most diabetics are only able to able to notice injuries by checking the skin daily. But at times, limited mobility can make it hard for some individuals to check the spots that are the most vulnerable, including the bottom of the feet.

Due to these reasons, it becomes important for diabetics to wear shoes that fit properly to eliminate scrapes, cuts, ulcers, and blisters.

Blood Glucose Levels

For someone suffering from diabetes, their body doesn't allow them to handle glucose effectively, which is why patients have problems regulating an optimal blood sugar level in their body. It can be controlled with an appropriate diet, lifestyle, and insulin, but many patients aren't able to adapt to the lifestyle and the diet for controlling their glucose levels effectively.

Elevated glucose levels can lead to damaged body systems. It can further lead to stiff arteries, blood vessels getting narrowed, and even diabetic neuropathy, leading to nerve damage throughout the body, specifically the limbs.

Issues with Circulation

For wound healing, proper blood circulation in the body becomes critical. As the blood vessels get narrowed, diabetic wound treatment becomes difficult as less oxygen can reach the wound and tissues don't heal as quickly as they should.

On top of that, increased glucose levels decrease the functioning of red blood cells that are responsible for carrying nutrients to the injured area, while also limiting the effectiveness of the white blood cells that are fighting infections.

Infection Worries

Slowed movement of the white blood cells in the wound site, combined with less effective immune responses along with wounds stuck in the inflammation stage can mean that the infection risk becomes higher for a diabetic wound treatment scenario.

Not to mention that some diabetics are desensitized by neuropathy, meaning that it prevents them from recognizing that the wound is getting worse due to infection. The wound site remains open for longer, given the fact that diabetics heal slower can lead to increased chances of infection.

What is even more unfortunate is that patients are more prone to gangrene, sepsis, or bone infections like osteomyelitis.

Chronic Inflammation

Wound healing also includes the stage of inflammation, but in the case of diabetic wound treatment, the inflammation stage generally lasts too long, which can result in the wound becoming chronic. In chronic wounds, the major balance between producing and degrading collagen gets lost somewhere, resulting in the wounds not healing.

Inefficient Immune System

Increased blood sugar levels can also lower the ability of the body to fight infections. Immune cells don't function as effectively for diabetic wound healing which further increases the chances of bacterial infections.

Some researches even show that one of the major wound healing problems includes the hormones and enzymes that are produced by the body in reaction to high blood sugar levels, which shuts down the effectiveness of the immune system.

Complications with Diabetic Wound Healing

Patients who experience poor wound healing because of the effects of diabetes on the nerves and blood vessels can also experience other kinds of complications. These can also include heart disease, eye problems, and even kidney disease.

In case an untreated wound gets infected, the infection might spread locally to the bone and the muscle. The name given by doctors for this is osteomyelitis. On the other hand, if an infection develops in the wound and remains untreated, it can further develop into gangrene. For those of you who don't know, gangrene is a common cause of amputations in individuals who lose a limb or two as a result of diabetes.

At times, people with uncontrolled infections can develop sepsis, which generally occurs when an infection spreads into the bloodstream. In some cases, sepsis can become life-threatening.

Treatment and Prevention

Patients suffering from diabetes can make use of specific strategies for minimizing the time that it takes for diabetic wound treatment. These strategies generally include practicing appropriate foot care, blood glucose management, and addressing wounds as they occur.

Foot Care for Diabetics

• Avoid walking barefoot
• Wear shoes that are comfortable
• Inspecting the feet and looking inside the shoes every day
• Washing the feet regularly every day
• Drying the skin before applying the moisturizer
• Check with the doctor to inspect the foot at every visit
• Trim the toenails with care

Glucose Intake Regulation

If you suffer from diabetes, and you can manage your blood sugar levels, you are less likely to suffer from wounds that don't heal with time.

People with type 1 diabetes will have to take insulin throughout their life for keeping their blood sugar levels in check, while people with type 2 diabetes have other options. Apart from taking insulin and other medications, they will also need to make certain adjustments in their lifestyle, which includes eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, reaching and then maintaining a moderate weight, etc. can significantly improve the blood sugar levels of a patient.

Wound Treatment

Monitoring wounds with care should be at the top of the list for every patient suffering from diabetes. Even though the wounds might heal slower than usual, it's not normal if the wounds remain open for several weeks. Also, the wounds shouldn't spread, ooze, or cause extreme pain to the patient.

Infections may or may not develop into an ulcer or a wound but patients should still take the necessary steps to avoid any kind of infection. For starters, make sure to clean the wound properly and cover it with a bandage, and repeat the same on a daily basis.

People on course for diabetic wound treatment should walk around shoes and socks at all times, especially when a wound has developed. Moving barefoot can significantly increase the chances of an infection.

Patients looking for diabetic wound treatment should seek immediate treatment in case a wound develops and doesn't heal like normal wounds. In some situations, the patient might even need to take antibiotics for combating any kind of infection, and things might even escalate hospitalization if the wound gets infected and becomes severe.