People with diabetes are at risk of complications, including slow wound healing. Talk to your doctor if you have a slow-healing wound. Wounds need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid serious health problems.
What do I need to know about wounds if I have diabetes?
Diabetes affects the way your body processes glucose. Abnormally high blood glucose levels are associated with serious complications, including slow-healing wounds caused by:
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)
- Weakened immune system
- Narrow arteries
Signs and Symptoms
People with slow-healing wounds caused by diabetes may have the following signs or symptoms:
- Chronic pain or no pain at all
- Inflammation and redness
- Pus drainage (weeping wound)
- Bad odor coming from the wound
- Dead tissue around the wound
- Numbness and dullness
- Fever and/or chills
Possible Complications
Wounds need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid serious health problems. Some complications include:
- Foot injury
- Infections
- Ulcers
- Damage to nerves and bone
- Poor blood flow
Wounds that become serious may cause so much damage to tissue and bone that amputation is necessary. It is important to care for a wound immediately before amputation becomes the only option. Research shows that ulcers often appear as the wound becomes very serious, requiring a lower limb amputation. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing problems with wounds not healing.
Treatment
Prevention is the best treatment.
- Keep your diabetes well controlled with diet, exercise and medications
- Inspect the skin every day to look for developing wounds (or have a family member do it)
- Wear well fitting shoes that do not cause “pressure points”; do not wear shoes or socks that are too tight
- Avoid walking barefoot
- Keep nails carefully trimmed
- Keep the skin clean and dry
- Regularly see a podiatrist or have your primary doctor do a regular foot exam
- Get early medical care for any injuries that do not seem to be healing as they should
If a wound occurs, treatment can include:
- Keeping all wounds clean and properly dressed
- Antibiotics
- Surgical debridement (removal) of dead or infected tissue
- Referral to a podiatrist or a wound care center
- Surgery for limb amputation when there is a serious infection