It is important to understand the causes of a diabetic foot to recognise early signs of foot problems like foot ulcers and gangrene, which leads to amputation. The following diabetic foot causes are:
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
In the case of diabetic neuropathy, most patients lose the sense of pain. This is because high blood sugar levels damage sensory, automotive, and motor nerves. When your sensory nerve is damaged, your feet become insensitive to pain.
Thus, any sore or cut on the foot can remain unnoticed. This exposure may lead to infections and it cannot get healed due to the body's reduced ability to cure infections.
Additionally, it also causes muscle weakness and loss in reflexes, contributing to deformities in the foot like bunions, charcot foot, hammertoes. This further creates abnormal pressure on the ulcer.
Peripheral Artery Disease
In this case, diabetes narrows down the arteries, causing poor blood circulation in the feet and legs, known as peripheral artery disease. It makes a diabetic patient prone to foot ulcers, with a reduced healing capability of the body. Almost half of the patients with diabetic foot ulcers suffer from peripheral artery disease.
It is often challenging for doctors to treat PAD because the concerned patients lack rest pain even in acute tissue loss.
Thus, it is important to pay attention to your feet health to attain the diagnosis and treatment at the right time. Doing so will help you avoid amputation to cease the spread of infection.