Complications of diabetic foot are among the most important health challenges faced by societies all over the world, and statistics indicate that 25% of diabetic patients are susceptible to developing diabetic foot ulcers, according to a statement published by Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar on its Facebook page today, Sunday.
The foundation said that a lot of efforts are being made to prevent limb amputations, including diabetic foot.
Dr. Mohamed Sulaiman Al-Akkad, Deputy Head of the Department of Surgery at Hamad Medical Corporation, said: “Skin ulcers are the main cause behind the majority of diabetic foot problems and complications that escalate to the extent of amputation of the affected limb, but 85% of cases of resorting to amputation of the affected limbs can be avoided. If these ulcers are diagnosed early and treated correctly, health education, prevention and diagnosis are the first line of defense in addressing foot ulcers.
diabetic foot ulcers
Dr. Al-Akkad explained that diabetic foot ulcers are one of the most serious complications and health problems that threaten diabetic patients, and the risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers ranges between 19% and 35%.
Despite the advances that have been made in the field of foot care and wound treatment, many diabetic foot ulcer patients end up having their lower limbs amputated. Therefore, the expertise and skill of the multidisciplinary medical team that provides integrated foot care services is an indispensable requirement for successful treatment. And get excellent treatment results.
For his part, Dr. Rashad El-Feki, Head of the Advanced Wound Care Department at Hamad Medical Corporation, stressed the importance of health education for members of the community, saying, “As health care cadres, we must educate diabetic patients and those who have a high risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers and educate them about the necessity of Do periodic examinations and monitor self-protective behavior, such as choosing appropriate shoes.The patient's family members should monitor the patient's feet daily and do some related care work, such as trimming the toenails of the patient who is unable to move or who has weak cognitive abilities. Motivating patients to adopt this preventive behavior has been a difficult task, as it is the responsibility of healthcare staff to develop and use direct guidelines, which are tailored to suit the patient's lifestyle."
Dr. Elfeki concluded by saying that scientific evidence has shown time and time again that the practices of multidisciplinary medical teams concerned with foot care enhance the therapeutic outcomes of the problems and complications of diabetic foot ulcers. For example, one study revealed that total amputations decreased by 70%. Over the past 11 years, thanks to the improvements that have been made to our foot care services.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a metabolic disease - the metabolism is also known as metabolism, which is the process of converting food into energy and other substances used by the body - caused by a lack of the hormone insulin, or the weakness of the normal response of the body's cells to insulin, which introduces sugar in the blood (glucose) to the cells, and in both cases it is The result is the same;
The levels of glucose in the blood rise above the normal limit, and this leads to negative effects on the body sooner or later.
Insulin is a hormone made by "beta" cells in the pancreas, which release insulin into the bloodstream after eating, in response to a spike in sugar in the bloodstream.
Glucose forms the energy into which food that a person eats, and it is excreted in the blood, so that the cells of the body take it and burn it to produce the energy needed for its vital processes.
To do this, they need the hormone insulin, which makes glucose move from the bloodstream into the cells.
Whenever the level of glucose in the blood rises, the pancreas secretes a greater amount of insulin to reduce it, but if it decreases, the pancreas reduces or stops the secretion of insulin, and the body in turn secretes 4 other hormones to raise its level in the blood, which are glucagon, cortisol, adrenaline and growth hormone, which makes the liver release glucose into the bloodstream.
In normal conditions, the body maintains the level of glucose in the blood in a range between 70 and 120 milligrams per deciliter, through a mechanism that ensures that its level is maintained even if the person fasts for a long period of time from food, or (on the contrary) eating a large amount of it;
In diabetes, glucose rises above the normal limit.