Risk Factors for Diabetic Foot Problems
A variety of factors work in unison to cause foot problems in people with diabetes. These mainly involve poor circulation and nerve disease (neuropathy). Neuropathy affects your ability to feel pain or discomfort in your feet, making you more susceptible to extensive injury-related damage. Also, diabetes can impair your ability to heal by both damaging your immune system and decreasing the blood flow in your legs. This can lead to bone and joint deformities, such as Charcot foot.
Diabetes can also affect your vision, making it harder for you to notice sores or injuries to your feet. You may not notice an injury or infection until your condition is so serious that you require surgery, possibly removal (amputation) of your foot and even part of your leg.
Risk factors for developing foot ulcers include:
- Age. Risks increase with age.
- Gender. Males are at higher risk.
- Race. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans are at higher risk.
- Duration of diabetes. The longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk.
- Other complications from diabetes (small blood vessel disease or atherosclerosis of large blood vessels).
- Poor blood glucose control. Having blood sugar levels above a target blood sugar range over time speeds up the damage to blood vessels and nerves.
- Smoking, which contributes to blood flow problems in your extremities.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Is This Normal? Get the Facts Fast!
Answer:
0-69
70-130
131+
Your level is currently
If the level is below 70 and you are experiencing symptoms such as shaking, sweating or difficulty thinking, you will need to raise the number immediately. A quick solution is to eat a few pieces of hard candy or 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey. Recheck your numbers again in 15 minutes to see if the number has gone up. If not, repeat the steps above or call your doctor.
People who experience hypoglycemia several times in a week should call their health care provider. It's important to monitor your levels each day so you can make sure your numbers are within the range. If you are pregnant always consult with your health care provider.
Congratulations on taking steps to manage your health.
However, it's important to continue to track your numbers so that you can make lifestyle changes if needed. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Your level is high if this reading was taken before eating. Aim for 70-130 before meals and less than 180 two hours after meals.
Even if your number is high, it's not too late for you to take control of your health and lower your blood sugar.
One of the first steps is to monitor your levels each day. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
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