Diabetic neuropathyDiabetic nerve damage, Peripheral neuropathyNerve damage from long-standing high blood sugar, usually starting in the feet as numbness, tingling or burning.
Diabetic foot
Also known as Diabetic foot ulcer, Foot ulcer
Foot problems caused by diabetes, where nerve damage hides an injury and poor circulation stops it healing. It is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation.
Two things combine. removes the warning of pain, and narrowed arteries slow healing. A small injury that would be trivial in anyone else becomes an ulcer, and an ulcer can become an amputation.
The daily habit that prevents most of this
- Look at both feet every day, including between the toes and the soles — use a mirror if you cannot see them
- Never walk barefoot, indoors or out
- Check inside shoes with your hand before putting them on
- Test bath water with your elbow, not your foot
- Cut nails straight across, and have hard skin dealt with by a professional rather than at home
Related terms
- DiabetesDiabetes mellitus, SugarDiabetes is a condition in which blood glucose stays too high, either because the body makes too little insulin or because it has stopped responding to it. Pakistan has one of the highest rates in the world, and a large share of people with it do not yet know.
- HbA1cGlycated haemoglobin, A1cHbA1c measures the proportion of haemoglobin that has sugar stuck to it, which reflects the average blood glucose over roughly the past three months. It needs no fasting and is used both to diagnose diabetes and to judge how well it is controlled.