Every 30 seconds, a leg is amputated due to diabetes
Surveys show that every 30 seconds around the world, a leg is amputated due to diabetic foot. The incidence of diabetes in my country is as high as 9.7%. There are nearly 100 million diabetic patients, including at least 40 million diabetic foot patients. In clinical practice, many patients have experienced coldness in the lower limbs, claudication, or even ulcers that have not healed for a long time, etc., and only discovered high blood sugar when seeing a doctor; some patients diagnosed with diabetes did not feel any discomfort and were numb and careless, which eventually led to diabetic foot; some patients were misdiagnosed as calcium deficiency, arthritis, etc. How can we detect diabetic foot early?
Diabetic foot can be divided into 4 stages, and the first 3 stages can be treated. The first stage of diabetic foot disease is the mildest, with only coldness and numbness in the lower limbs, and occasional leg cramps; in the second stage, the symptoms of lower limb ischemia gradually become more prominent, often manifesting as lower limb pain after walking a certain distance; as the degree of ischemia worsens, the walking distance gradually shortens until "rest pain" occurs, which is clinical stage 3.
What symptoms can help us detect diabetic foot in time?
The clinical manifestations of diabetic foot are diverse. In the early stages, patients can feel changes, usually in a sock-like pattern, first affecting the distal end of the limb and then progressing toward the proximal end. The joint weakening of light touch, proprioception, temperature and pain perception; motor neuropathy manifests as atrophy of intrinsic foot muscles and claw-like toe deformity; autonomic nerve involvement manifests as loss of normal skin perspiration, temperature and blood supply regulation functions, resulting in reduced flexibility of local tissues and the formation of thick calluses that are more susceptible to fragmentation and cracking.
In diabetic patients, excessive mechanical pressure combined with peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease can cause damage and deformity to the soft tissue and bone joint system of the foot, which can lead to a series of foot problems, ranging from mild neurological symptoms to severe ulcers, infections, vascular diseases, Charcot arthropathy, and neuropathic fractures. If symptoms and complications occurring in the lower extremities are not adequately addressed by aggressive treatment, the consequences can be catastrophic. Therefore, preventing diabetic foot is of great significance.
By actively controlling blood sugar, patients can fundamentally reduce the risk of diabetic foot disease. In addition, it is recommended that patients check their feet and shoes every day to detect hidden tissue damage and increased mechanical stress in shoes. Modification of shoes, molded insoles or deepening of shoes can effectively buffer foot stress and provide support and protection. At the same time, a thorough physical examination of the lower limbs below the knee joint should be performed at least once a year, and more frequently for high-risk groups.