Can diabetic foot be cured?

Written by Yang Li
Endocrinology
Updated on December 03, 2024
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Diabetic foot can potentially be cured, and it can improve, but it depends on the specific circumstances. Diabetic foot varies in severity and is classified into different levels. In medical terms, it is classified based on its appearance, and different classifications have different prognoses. Even within the same classification, factors like the patient's vascular condition, baseline nutritional status, age, duration of diabetes, and many other factors can influence whether diabetic foot can be cured. In clinical practice, there are many diabetic foot patients who, after comprehensive treatment, achieve complete wound healing. Therefore, whether diabetic foot can be cured depends on many factors.

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Written by Lin Xiang Dong
Endocrinology
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incidence of diabetic foot

As the number of diabetic patients increases, the incidence of diabetic foot also rises. Currently, the prevalence of diabetic foot in China is 5.7%, which is below the global average. Diabetic foot primarily occurs in patients who have had diabetes for over ten years, often due to poor blood sugar control and inadequate care. Diabetic foot is also one of the three major non-traumatic causes of amputation. Therefore, the most severe consequence of diabetic foot is amputation.

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Written by Chen Kai
Endocrinology
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How to treat diabetic foot pain

Diabetic foot is a chronic complication of diabetes, characterized by arteriosclerosis, narrowing, and occlusion of the lower limb vessels, and peripheral neuropathy caused by multiple factors following diabetes. Treatment mainly involves improving circulation and nourishing nerves, including performing lower limb arterial ultrasound to assess the extent of vascular occlusion. When necessary, stenting or vascular recanalization can be performed, and treatments including stem cell therapy are also viable options. For pain, severe pain can generally be managed by vasodilation and symptomatic treatment.

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Written by Zhao Xin Lan
Endocrinology
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Diabetic foot VSD (Vacuum Sealing Drainage) nursing key points

If you have diabetic foot, it is necessary to check the condition of your feet every day. When washing your feet daily, observe the color and shape of the feet, whether there is any skin damage, and whether there are changes in local color. Secondly, more professionally, you can feel the pulsation of the dorsal artery of the foot to see if it is normal. Third, insist on washing your feet daily to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Be careful that the water temperature for soaking should not be too high, preferably not exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, and do not soak for more than 30 minutes. Additionally, trimming nails is very important. Do not tear them with your hands to avoid damaging the skin of your feet; use scissors to cut long nails. Another important aspect is shoe wearing. It is best to wear loose-fitting shoes to avoid rubbing against the feet and breaking the skin.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
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What are the early symptoms of diabetic foot?

Diabetic foot is a complication of diabetes, relatively late-stage and severe. One of the most dreadful consequences it can cause is amputation, leading to lifelong disability. Many patients worry about developing diabetic foot and should pay attention to the early stages of diabetic foot, which actually manifest as changes in the blood vessels and nerves. For example, vascular changes can make certain areas of the skin appear whiter and cooler, and the pulsation of the dorsal artery of the foot may weaken. Nerve changes are characterized by numbness, tingling, or alternating sensations of heat and cold in the foot, as well as other abnormal sensations. These are all signs of complications and early manifestations.

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Written by Yang Li
Endocrinology
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How to relieve pain in diabetic foot?

If diabetic foot is combined with pain, it often depends on the severity of the diabetic foot. It has a Wagner grading system. If there is an obvious wound that extends to the bone, anti-infection treatment is very important, and surgical assessment is necessary to determine if the foot can be saved. If the wound is superficial and only involves the epidermis, local anti-infection and circulation improvement are fundamental. In such cases, COX-2 inhibitors and non-steroidal analgesic drugs may be used. If the pain is caused by peripheral neuropathy, the first step is to nourish the nerves, for example with mecobalamin, and treat the neuropathy with drugs like epalrestat, along with drugs like cilostazol that improve microcirculation. Effective treatments targeted at this type of neuropathic pain include drugs like pregabalin and etoricoxib, designed for bone pain, and gabapentin-related medications can also be used. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)