Diabetic leg complications include diabetic lower extremity arterial occlusion, diabetic peripheral neuritis, localized diabetic infections, and ulcers.
Diabetic leg complications are mostly due to poor glycemic control causing diabetic peripheral neuropathy and diabetic lower extremity vasculopathy, of which diabetic vasculopathy is divided into diabetic microangiopathy and diabetic arteriopathy. The main ones are:
1. Diabetic lower limb artery occlusion, which mainly manifests as lower limb coldness, abnormal sensation, pain (aggravated by walking), intermittent claudication, muscle soreness and numbness, and in severe cases, resting pain.
2. Diabetic peripheral neuritis, mainly due to local ischemia and hypoxia caused by microangiopathy in the lower extremities, peripheral nerves are not effectively nourished, and local numbness, ankylosis, insect crawling sensation, fever, sensory disturbance, pain, etc. may occur.
3. Local infection and ulceration, patients with prolonged lower limb vascular and nerve dysfunction, if in cases such as trauma, can lead to local infection and ulceration, wounds that do not heal for a long time, repeated infections, and eventually may form local necrotic lesions. Diabetic leg complications cause pain, numbness, abnormal sensation in mild cases, or arthrosis and local tissue muscle necrosis in severe cases.