Care of diabetic foot

Written by Lin Xiang Dong
Endocrinology
Updated on September 19, 2024
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The care of diabetic foot is very important. In our daily life, we need to do the following aspects. First, regularly wash and check both feet. During washing, the water temperature should not be too high. Also, keep the skin moist to prevent it from drying and cracking. Second, choose suitable shoes and socks, preferably loose-fitting to avoid tightness. Third, be careful when trimming toenails, making sure not to damage the skin of the feet. If there are any sores, go to the hospital immediately for treatment. Fourth, avoid using corrosive chemicals on the feet.

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Is frequent urination diabetes?

If the urine output exceeds 2500 mL in 24 hours, this condition is called polyuria. There are many causes of polyuria; diabetes is just one of them. Additionally, physiological causes are also seen, such as eating a large amount of fruits that have a diuretic effect, like watermelon, or drinking a lot of water previously. This is referred to as physiological polyuria and does not require special treatment. Pathological causes, apart from diabetes, also include diabetes insipidus or electrolyte disturbances. For instance, long-term hypokalemia, hypercalcemia, or increased aldosterone can all lead to polyuria. It is advisable to promptly visit the urology department of a hospital for tests such as blood glucose levels, routine urine tests, and endocrine examinations to understand the causes of polyuria, and to determine whether it is caused by diabetes.

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Gestational diabetes check at how many weeks?

Screening for gestational diabetes is generally recommended between 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy, using a 75g glucose tolerance test to measure fasting blood glucose, blood glucose one hour after consuming glucose, and blood glucose two hours after consuming glucose. However, for pregnant women with high-risk factors, it is recommended to screen for blood glucose at their first prenatal visit. High-risk factors include women with a history of gestational diabetes, a history of delivering a large baby, obesity or polycystic ovary syndrome, those with a first-degree relative with a history of diabetes, positive fasting blood glucose or urinary glucose in early pregnancy, those who have had multiple unexplained miscarriages, fetal malformation, stillbirth history, and women who have given birth to newborns with respiratory distress syndrome. These women should all be screened for blood glucose at their first prenatal visit.

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Symptoms of diabetic foot

Diabetic foot is one of the severe chronic complications of diabetes, generally referred to as the abnormalities in the lower limbs caused by diabetic vascular neuropathy. Diabetic foot with gangrene of the extremity due to concurrent infection is referred to as diabetic foot with gangrene of the extremity, representing a serious stage in the progression of diabetic foot. The main symptoms of diabetic foot include: first, subcutaneous fat atrophy, thinning of the skin, common pigmentation spots on the shin, no hair on the feet and toes, and thickening of the toenails often accompanied by fungal infections; second, atrophy of the extremity muscles, malnutrition, poor muscle tone, and susceptibility to injury in joints and ligaments; third, visible sinking of the finger joints, joint bending, weakening or disappearance of foot deformities, and cool, swollen skin at the extremities; fourth, patients often experience extremity pain, numbness, sensory abnormalities, and dull or absent deep and superficial reflexes. In the initial stages of diabetic foot gangrene, blistering, blood blisters, erosion, and infection can gradually develop into ulcers, gangrene, or necrosis. Clinically, this is manifested as localized redness, swelling, increased skin temperature, pain, functional impairment, and the presence of purulent secretions, sometimes accompanied by a foul odor.

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Symptoms of gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes refers to abnormal glucose tolerance that occurs during pregnancy. It usually involves only mild, asymptomatic hyperglycemia without the typical symptoms of diabetes such as dry mouth, excessive thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss. However, significant increases in blood sugar can lead to symptoms such as dry mouth, excessive thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss. It is important to be vigilant for gestational diabetes in patients who exhibit symptoms such as excessive amniotic fluid, a large fetus, or recurrent urinary tract infections. Therefore, it is generally recommended for pregnant patients to complete an OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) by the 24th week of pregnancy to confirm whether they have gestational diabetes. After childbirth, blood sugar levels in women with gestational diabetes generally return to normal, but the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future significantly increases. Therefore, patients with gestational diabetes should undergo diabetes screening 6 to 12 weeks postpartum and be monitored over the long term.

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Is there a difference between gestational diabetes and regular diabetes?

Gestational diabetes and common diabetes, although both types of diabetes, have significant differences between them. First, gestational diabetes is a disease specifically occurring during pregnancy and often only appears during the gestational period. After pregnancy, the majority of women will revert to a normal blood sugar state, so the main focus for gestational diabetes is on screening and intervention during pregnancy; Second, common diabetes is a chronic disease that accompanies an individual throughout their life, requiring long-term management of blood sugar through various methods. Therefore, the main difference between the two lies in the duration of the disease. Pregnant women with common diabetes, if they become pregnant, are referred to as having diabetes compounded by pregnancy, which also requires strict blood sugar management, but its mechanism of occurrence and principles of treatment differ from those of gestational diabetes.