How does diabetes affect wound healing?
Published 20 Jul 2018
Diabetes can cause wounds to heal more slowly. This raises the risk that someone with diabetes will develop infections and other complications.
A person who manages their diabetes well can improve wound healing and reduce the chances of developing a serious infection.
Diabetes and wound healing
Minor wounds, cuts, and burns are a part of life, but for people with diabetes, they can cause serious health issues.
Many people with diabetes develop wounds that are slow to heal or never heal. Wounds that do not heal well can become infected.
An infection can spread locally, to surrounding tissue and bone, or to further away areas of the body. In some cases, they may even be fatal.
Diabetic foot ulcers affect 15 percent of people with diabetes. These are painful sores that can ultimately lead to foot amputation.
Even when a wound does not become infected, it can affect a person's health and quality of life. Cuts or injuries on the feet or legs can make it difficult to walk or exercise without pain.
Keeping diabetes under control can reduce the risk of slow-healing wounds and complications, including foot ulcers.
A 2013 study found a clear correlation between blood glucose and wound healing. People undergoing surgery for chronic diabetes wounds were more likely to fully heal if their blood glucose was well-controlled at the time of surgery.
Why does diabetes affect wound healing?
Diabetes makes it more difficult for the body to manage blood glucose levels. When blood glucose remains chronically high, it impairs the function of white blood cells, resulting in an inability to fight bacteria.
Diabetes, particularly if uncontrolled, is also associated with poor circulation. As circulation slows, red blood cells move more slowly. This makes it more difficult for the body to deliver nutrients to wounds. As a result, the injuries heal slowly, or may not heal at all.
Nerve damage is another factor affecting wound healing. Uncontrolled blood glucose can damage the body's nerves, which means that people with diabetes may sustain trauma to their feet more easily without being aware that they are injured. This can prevent them from seeking treatment, allowing a wound to become even worse.
Impaired sweating, dry and cracked skin, toenail infections, and foot deformities are more commonly found in people with diabetes, increasing the risk of a bacterial infection.
Research is consistently uncovering other ways that diabetes affects wound healing, including:
- weakened production of hormones associated with growth and healing
- decreased production and repair of new blood vessels
- weakened skin barrier
- decreased collagen production
Does having diabetes affect your healing? Has this impacted you at all?
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Certainly to the biggest thing to be wary of is infection as diabetes hammers our immune system. I have no problem as yet but my younger brother gets regular blisters on his feet. He lost several toes due to infection and he needs to constantly keep his blisters clean. If not he ends up in A&E on a drip for a few days.
Difficulty with the foot infection you can lose it, first below the ankle, then calf, then once above the knee you will be lucky to live. So looking after yourself is important and inspect your feet everyday especially if you have lost feelings in your legs or feet. My brother has shark bones growing out of his feet and requires special shoes, also classic diabetes, a source of infection.
Be watchful for the classic signs of infection and straight to A&E as your GP does not carry a strong enough anti biotic. The drips are straight into your blood stream and almost instantly, a life or limb saver. For me I get plenty of mouth infections from diabetes that has been compounded by throat cancer treatment, on my third anti biotic from the dentist in the last two months, 'all the fun of the fair'.
Get your E45 prescribed by your GP and don't let your feet and hands dry out, should be free to diabetics.
Once a diabetic most surgeons won't touch you unless it is life threatening, so simple ops are normally ruled out by the NHS!
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