Diabetes And Slow Healing Of Cuts And Wounds: How To Speed Up The Healing Process?

Patients with diabetes, a disease that is characterized by high blood glucose levels, tend to develop an array of symptoms including excessive thirst, excessive urination, excessive hunger, and unexplained weight loss.

Another symptom that patients often notice is that their cuts and bruises heal slowly, which leads to an increased risk of infection and other complications. The association between high levels of blood glucose and poor wound healing was established in a study published in 2013 in which patients who were undergoing surgical intervention for treatment of their wounds healed better if their glucose levels were better controlled at the time at which they underwent surgery.

Diabetes, wound healing and related complications

Wounds, cuts and sores are a part of everyday life and everyone heals at different rates. Unfortunately, many people with diabetes heal a lot slower, which opens them up to a higher risk of wound infections. In fact, many people with diabetes who have wounds will find that their wounds don’t heal well or don’t even heal at all. When the wound is exposed, then bacteria any other microorganisms such as fungus or gangrene, have easy access to your bloodstream. Once in your bloodstream, the bacteria are able to spread to tissue as well as to bones nearby the wound and other parts of your body. This is important to be aware of as infections can sometimes be life-threatening.

Furthermore, while most cuts and wounds won’t cause an infection, they can still have other negative adverse effects. For example, having a non-healing wound can make it hard to walk or work with your hands. It can also make exercise, which is extremely important for patients with diabetes, painful. Hence, doctors recommend that if you have diabetes, even if its well-controlled, you avoid instances in which you can obtain wounds or cuts.

Foot ulcers are the most common type of wound to develop in patients with diabetes — 25 percent of patients with diabetes are thought to have them. These ulcers can be quite painful and can eventually lead to an amputation of the foot. One study states that there are 230 amputations in the United States that take place every day due to diabetes-related complications.

So why do people with diabetes have impaired wound healing?

The connection between the two stems from the fact that diabetes is associated with an impaired ability to either produce insulin or cells of the body are no longer sensitive to insulin. Since insulin is required for metabolizing glucose (a type of sugar), patients with diabetes are not able to manage blood glucose levels.

Unfortunately, when blood glucose levels are high for a long period of time, it actually reduces the ability of white blood cells (cells of the immune system) to function properly, causing the body to not be able to appropriately fight bacteria and function properly. Another complication of impaired white blood cells is that they cannot close wounds properly. Additionally, since patients with diabetes have poor blood circulation, the components that are needed for proper healing of wounds is not delivered to the wound. Thus, injuries to the wounds heal very slowly or not at all.

Finally, patients with diabetes often also develop neuropathy, which refers to nerve damage. This also affects the ability to properly heal a wound. In fact, damage of nerves in the area of the wound can actually numb the sensations, causing many people to not even be aware of the injury and thus, patients may not seek treatment.

Therefore, researchers believe that a mixture of slow healing and a decreased sensation to the area leads to a significant increase in the risk of infection.

Some other factors that may also affect the ability to heal wounds include:

• Decreased production of hormones involved in healing
• Reduction in the development and repair of blood vessels to deliver nutrients
• Decreased production of collagen, an important component of the skin, causing the skin barrier to become weak
• Risk factors that increase the risk of developing an infection in patients such as abnormal sweating, dry skin, infection of the toenail, and foot abnormalities.

Therefore, it is vital for patients with diabetes to regularly check their skin for any potential new cuts and sores.

When to seek help

One of the first things that may tip you off that have you have diabetes is if you have a cut or a wound that is taking a very long time to heal or you develop an infection, the latter of which can be indicated by:

• Pain
• Tenderness to touch
• Inflammation or swollen region

If you notice these, then you should immediately go see a doctor. Even if you don’t have diabetes, it could still signal an underlying disease. If you don’t get it checked out, then you can suffer an amputation. Therefore, closely monitor your feet and other parts of your body and immediately seek help if you notice anything out of the ordinary.