Amputations in the UK have reached a high with the number of diabetic amputations rising to 20 amputations a day, as shown through recent analysis from Diabetes UK. Currently, over four million people suffer from diabetes and around 500,000 are undiagnosed or have high blood sugar. About 80 percent of amputations are preventable, and the NHS urges people to manage their diabetes to prevent foot amputations, and lower the nation’s blood sugar for a healthier lifestyle.
Diabetes is a condition that causes high blood sugar where the body is unable to use the amount of glucose in your body. The condition involves insulin and in both type 1 and type 2, the pancreas does not produce insulin or the insulin does not work properly in order to allow glucose into your body’s cells. Type 1 is more common in younger patients where there is no insulin to allow glucose to enter the body’s cells. Type 2 occurs when there is not enough insulin or the insulin does not work properly, causing insulin resistance. Because of this, the body dumps the extra glucose into the blood stream, causing high blood sugar that could lead to a range of complications including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and amputations if left uncontrolled.
See also: Deciphering Diabetes
Diabetes management
Diabetes management is a day-to-day task where you need to keep blood sugars at bay to ensure the condition doesn’t progress into other complications. To control your diabetes and prevent any damage to your body, it is imperative to look at what you are eating and adopt a healthier lifestyle. By adding just 20 minutes of activity a day and watching your calorie intake can lower your blood sugar levels and allow you to live a normal healthy life.
It is also important to always check your blood sugar levels to ensure they are in a healthy range and to experiment with different foods to know what affects your blood sugars and what doesn’t. If you are overweight, it’s recommended to lose a minimum of five percent of your body weight as your blood sugars will drastically lessen and can stop the condition from progressing.
How does diabetes affect the feet?
Having high blood sugar for a long period of time can start to affect circulation, including damage to the sensory, motor or autonomic neuropathy of the body. This starts to show in other areas, including eyes, teeth, joints and feet.
The main target parts are the feet, as the blood takes longer to reach that part of the body. The sensory neuropathy allows us to feel temperature and pain, when this is impaired by high blood sugars any minor foot condition such as a blister can become a burn and develop into an ulcer.
If the nerves in your feet are affected then the feet can change shape and cause problems such as bunions and flat feet from the arch ‘falling’ which can cause bones to fracture in your foot when stressed and walked on.
Poor circulation is a major side affect of uncontrolled blood sugar, which can cause cramping in the feet and legs and not allow cuts, bruises or sores to heal well, leading to infections. Poor circulation is caused by high blood pressure, high fat content in your diet and smoking.
See also: Dietary Requirements for Type 2 Diabetes
Feet first
One of the main causes for amputations is a ‘foot attack’, which is usually a foot ulcer or an infection that cannot heal, as described by Diabetes UK. They have specified the required steps to take to ensure that a foot condition does not lead to an amputation that could have been prevented. It starts with knowing your risk, where you have a foot ulcer, any sign of infection, or even loss of sensation. If you have any of these symptoms, you should visit the doctor immediately.
Diabetes Symptoms
It’s advisable to get checked for diabetes early on to prevent later complications. These are the symptoms to look out for:
• Excessive thirst
• Tiredness
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blurred Vision
• Cuts or wounds that heal slowly
Are you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
You may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you are overweight or have a high Body Mass Index (BMI), you have a close family relative with diabetes or if you have ever had high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke. You can check your risk at diabetes.org.uk.
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