Diabetic foot and its prevention and treatment

  Diabetic patients are prone to injury due to neuropathy, dull sensation in the foot; due to vascular lesions, causing ischemia and hypoxia in the foot. And the glucose in the sweat of diabetic patients provides a good living environment for bacteria, which is very easy to secondary infection. Under the action of the above factors, the patient’s foot skin is dry, keratinized, muscle atrophy, chronic foot ulcers, toe and heel gangrene, thus forming a diabetic foot.  Diabetic foot is a unique clinical manifestation of diabetic patients, one of the serious vascular complications of diabetes, and an important cause of disability and death in diabetic patients. It mostly occurs in older patients with long duration of disease and poorly controlled disease. If combined with arteriosclerosis of the lower limbs, it causes limb ischemia, intermittent claudication, rest pain, night pain, and in severe cases, weakened or absent dorsal foot artery pulsation, resulting in ischemic necrosis of tissues. If combined with neuropathy, lower limb sensation is reduced or lost, local resistance is weakened, and infection can be caused by minor trauma, such as extrusion by ill-fitting shoes, local callus, improper treatment of corns, or minor trauma to the skin. Due to the weakening or loss of pain sensation, the lesion cannot be detected in time, thus allowing the wound to expand rapidly, resulting in foot infection, plantar ulceration, and toe and heel gangrene.  The very important reason for the occurrence of diabetic foot is due to limb ischemia, neuropathy, infection and triggering factors, therefore, the treatment should be prevention-oriented, prevention and treatment for the cause.  Specific measures are as follows: 1. Actively treat diabetes and strictly control high blood sugar; 2. Reasonably distribute diet and strictly control high blood lipids and various factors that lead to early atherosclerosis; 3. Improve blood circulation in the extremities and exercise appropriately, such as insisting on 30-60 minutes of calf and foot exercise every day. Prohibit smoking, because smoking can make the limb vascular spasm, aggravate tissue ischemia; 4, pay attention to foot hygiene and cleanliness, wash feet with warm water every night, keep the skin soft, feet pay attention to warmth; 5, treatment of foot calluses, corns, shoes and socks should be clean and loose, soft to fit the foot, breathable to good, should not walk barefoot; 6, prevention of foot trauma and frostbite. Check often whether there are risk factors at the end of the foot, such as whether there are lacerations, mosquito bites, blisters, redness, discoloration, whether the feeling of temperature change, once found, must be properly handled; 7, the prevention of infection, ringworm and secondary infection, the application of 0.2 per thousand of potassium permanganate water solution to wash the feet three times a day, and ask the dermatologist for early consultation and treatment. Small wounds found should seek medical attention in a timely manner, do not treat yourself.