Diabetes mellitus is a polysymptomatic endocrine disease that can manifest itself with a number of different symptoms. Pathology leads to deterioration of tissue nutrition.
During the disease, arteries, capillaries and blood vessels suffer. To put it another way, they simply become clogged because carbohydrate metabolism in the body is disrupted. Blockage of blood vessels in the eyes leads to impaired visual perception, in the kidneys - to renal failure, and in the coronary vessels - to stroke.
Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus is the first signal that blood circulation and nervous regulation in the patient’s legs are impaired. As soon as the patient notices such a pathology, it is necessary to immediately look for the causes. Only the attending physician can find out why legs swell in diabetes. This requires a comprehensive diagnosis.
Can legs swell with chronic hyperglycemia? Absolutely yes. This condition means that any complications of diabetes are progressing in the body. Your fingers, legs, and feet may swell. This complication occurs equally often in men and women.
Edema is the accumulation of excess fluid in the soft tissues of the human body. It is divided into general and local.
With a general complication, fluid retention is observed in all internal organs and tissues, and in quite significant quantities. With diabetes, local swelling usually develops.
Swelling of the legs in diabetes has a negative impact on a person’s overall well-being. The patient cannot move normally, during movement he feels discomfort or severe pain, and cannot wear his usual shoes. And even in a horizontal position it does not become easier for him.
Diabetics have swollen feet for various reasons:
In order to avoid worsening the disease, you need to learn to recognize in time some signs indicating poor circulation in the lower extremities.
Swelling of the feet in diabetes is a problem that can be prevented in a timely manner if you monitor your health and take care of your feet (wear comfortable shoes, use a rich ointment, etc.). First of all, you need to monitor your feelings.
Any patient should be alert to the following sensations: tingling, pulsating, burning. When it is possible to detect the initial symptoms in time and begin therapy, it is possible to easily prevent serious complications.
Medical practice identifies the following symptoms of the initial pathological process in the legs:
With type 2 diabetes, not only the legs, but also other parts of the body may swell. Women may have swelling of the face, hands, and abdomen.
If your legs swell with diabetes, what should you do? First, you need to contact your treating endocrinologist. The doctor must identify the cause, and only on the basis of examinations determine how to treat swelling of the legs in this case. Moreover, the principles of therapy may differ radically.
Treatment of leg swelling in diabetes mellitus is a complex therapy that includes several points. If the causes of swelling lie in high blood sugar, then all treatment is aimed at reducing it. Only by eliminating the cause of the pathology can you get rid of it.
The classic principles for reducing fluid stagnation in the bloodstream are the following: constant monitoring of blood glucose, quitting smoking, and following a low-carbohydrate diet.
If sugar deviates from the norm, the required measures must be taken. The second type of diabetes mellitus involves taking pills that help lower glycemia. For the first type, insulin therapy is recommended.
When swelling of the legs lies in other causes, then a different treatment is prescribed:
Heart failure is often a concomitant pathology of diabetes mellitus. If it is the result of swelling of the legs, feet or other areas, then the following medications are prescribed:
Vitamins for diabetics are prescribed as maintenance therapy to strengthen the body.
To relieve neuropathic pain, painkillers may be recommended - Ketorolac, Ketorol and others.
In fact, alternative medicine offers many recipes that can help you deal with swelling at home.
Their use ensures stabilization of sugar, as a result of which swelling is leveled. In the early stages, you can use herbal tinctures. An effective recipe is as follows: take bean pods, oats, lilac buds and currant leaves in equal proportions. All ingredients must be mixed thoroughly.
Next, you need to take a few spoons and steam 250 ml of boiling liquid, leave for several hours, then strain. You need to take one tablespoon up to 5 times a day. The duration of such therapy is about two weeks.
If your legs hurt badly, then flax seeds will help with diabetes. Based on them, you can make a decoction that is suitable for any person:
Fig compote helps with swelling. Fresh fruits are cut into several parts, a regular compote is boiled, and at the end you need to add a small amount of soda. Take one tablespoon up to five times a day.
Treatment with folk remedies should be supplemented with gymnastics, swimming, and walking. Moderate physical activity will help improve blood circulation and reduce swelling.
What do you think about this? What preventive measures do you take to prevent leg swelling and eliminate complications?
Diabetes mellitus is a serious disease of the endocrine system, characterized by high blood sugar levels and metabolic disorders. Endocrine pathology type 1 develops due to a lack of synthesis of the hormone insulin. This form of the disease is typical for young people and is hereditary. In type 2 diabetes, insulin levels are within normal limits, however, a decrease in the sensitivity of cells to the hormone develops due to poor nutrition or excessive body weight of the patient.
The long course of the disease is accompanied by the development of chronic complications. An example is damage to the lower extremities. Treatment of legs for diabetes mellitus is a complex process aimed at compensating for the underlying disease and eliminating local disorders. The article discusses what to do if pathology develops and whether it is possible to deal with the problem at home.
There are two main mechanisms for the development of leg problems in diabetes:
High blood glucose levels are the main cause of damage to the lower extremities in diabetes mellitus
Damage to the peripheral nervous system is accompanied by pain in the legs with diabetes, a feeling of pressure, decreased sensitivity, and a change in reaction to heat or cold. Against this background, trophic lesions of the lower limb and foot may develop, which take a long time to heal.
Symptoms of damage to the arteries of the lower extremities:
The doctor chooses how to treat legs for diabetes mellitus, depending on the mechanism of development of the pathology and symptomatic manifestations.
Before choosing treatment for swelling of the legs due to diabetes, you need to determine their type and cause. Edema may appear against the background of damage to blood vessels, the peripheral nervous system, joints of the lower extremities or kidneys.
The development of swelling is one of the symptoms of complications of the “sweet disease”
The patient must be able to choose the right shoes, because when wearing uncomfortable models, fluid can accumulate in certain places, increasing the development of swelling. The symptom can be eliminated by achieving compensation for diabetes mellitus. It is high glycemic levels that cause the development of a number of complications.
It is important to follow the advice of a nutritionist and adjust your diet. The amount of liquid and salt intake must be reduced. You should also limit the consumption of easily digestible saccharides and lipids of animal origin.
Elimination of swelling in the legs in diabetes mellitus occurs according to the following scheme. The specialist prescribes the use of vasodilators and antihypertensive drugs:
If a patient complains that his legs hurt due to diabetes, this indicates blockage of the lumen of the arteries or the development of one of the forms of neuropathy. To eliminate this manifestation, in addition to correcting the treatment of the underlying disease, the following groups of drugs are used:
Thiogamma is a representative of thioctic acid derivatives
Important! Self-use of medications is not allowed, as there may be a risk of side effects. The prescribed treatment regimen and dosage of medications should be strictly followed.
Treatment of leg wounds consists of local treatment, the use of antibacterial and antiseptic drugs, and unloading of the affected limb. Local therapy is based on excision of necrotic areas and corns around the wound, treatment of trophic defects with medications and the use of a bandage.
Local treatment and washing of the affected areas is carried out with a 3% peroxide solution, Chlorhexidine, saline and Miramistin. It is prohibited to use alcohol solutions, potassium permanganate, or dyes (iodine, brilliant green). The dressing should maintain a moist environment, which is necessary to speed up the healing of the affected limbs, and also prevent bacteria from entering the wound.
You can treat trophic defects with antimicrobial drugs (Betadine), healing stimulants (Curiosin), proteolytic enzymes (Chymotrypsin). A specialist may recommend the use of Levomekol or Solcoseryl.
Trophic ulcers are long-term healing defects that require complex therapy
To combat swelling and pain that arise as a result of atherosclerotic vascular damage, surgical interventions are used to restore blood circulation. Effective methods are:
It is impossible to cure diabetes with folk remedies, however, it is possible to achieve compensation for the disease and reduce the severity of clinical manifestations.
A few aloe leaves are cut off and left in a cool place. Next, the juice is squeezed out of them and used to treat affected areas on the legs for the first and second types of the disease.
Aloe is a representative of medicinal plants used in the treatment of lesions of the lower extremities
Medicinal infusion of calamus root. The raw materials are poured with boiling water (1 tablespoon of crushed root per glass of water) and left in a water bath. After a quarter of an hour, the infusion is removed and set aside for 2 hours. Next, the product is filtered and used for medicinal applications.
Lotions made from clove essential oil. The product is applied to trophic defects and fixed on top with napkins. The drug is also taken orally on an empty stomach (4-5 drops). Clove oil can be added to water during therapeutic procedures for diabetics (for example, hydromassage of the feet).
It is important to remember that any treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a qualified specialist. Only in this case can you achieve the desired result.
The symptoms and etiology of diabetes mellitus make it possible to classify the disease as a class of ailments that are dangerous to human life and health. Swelling of the legs in diabetes along with swelling of the internal organs are factors that pose a threat to diabetics. It is the swelling of the legs that first indicates that the diabetic has impaired blood circulation and nervous regulation. If a patient with diabetes has severely swollen limbs, then such swelling is visible. But if an internal organ is swollen, it will not be noticeable. For example, cerebral edema can only be diagnosed by a doctor. It is necessary to consult a doctor, because severe swelling of the internal organs can only be relieved with medication.
A vascular surgeon and endocrinologist will help diabetics diagnose severe swelling of internal organs.
Edema is a buildup of fluid in soft tissue. The disease manifests itself unevenly. In 70% of cases in which a person swells, the lower and upper extremities swell. In 30%, internal organs swell. It is common for diabetics to have one leg thicker than the other. If an arm or leg is swollen, then when you press on the limb, a characteristic hollow appears on the body. Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus is the most common. Since in diabetes a person’s internal and external organs swell, the causes of swelling vary. Swelling of the body in type 1 diabetes is general and worsens a person’s well-being.
Swelling of the lower and upper extremities may appear in a diabetic if he suffers from arthropathy (diabetic joint damage). Swelling and a change in color from natural to red is the first sign of the disease. In patients with angiopathy (vascular damage), neuropathy (nerve damage) and cardiovascular diseases, the legs are also the first to swell. The main reason that causes swelling in the legs in diabetes is considered to be poor nerve regulation and insufficient blood circulation. Edema in type 2 diabetes mellitus is general. Women often experience swelling in their abdomen, arms and face.
Swelling of soft tissue in a diabetic provokes:
If foot swelling is not treated on time, unpleasant consequences may occur. Toes may become deformed, the shape of the foot may change, and subluxations, dislocations, and fractures of the legs often occur. A person’s foot hurts, changes color from natural to red, expands or shortens. To determine the diabetic foot, doctors introduced the special medical concept of “diabetic foot.” Then the diabetic's swollen legs hurt, go numb, and dry skin and calluses appear on the feet.
A diabetic's nails can sometimes become deformed. The risk of skin infection increases. If the finger is so swollen that the color has changed from natural to bluish, then there is a huge risk of amputation of the fingers. Pulmonary edema occurs if the patient has been given the wrong therapy. The appearance of vein thrombosis and cerebral edema is the most dangerous complication of the disease, as it can cost the patient his life.
Symptoms of swelling of the lower extremities have their own characteristics:
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Therapy for edema in diabetics is complex. It consists of drug treatment, but sometimes diabetics resort to traditional methods and diet.
It is recommended that medications for swelling of the legs in diabetes be coordinated with doctors, and also be correctly combined with the medications that the diabetic is already taking. You need to focus on the compatibility of the constituent medications, since some substances are mutually exclusive when taking other medications. Doctors advise choosing a medicine for edema in diabetes based on the etiology of the disease. If the cause of swelling of the legs lies in nephropathy, then normalize the glycemic index. Particular attention is paid to the dietary menu. If the cause of swelling is cardiovascular disease, then drug therapy cannot be avoided. Valsartan will lower blood pressure. With the help of the ACE inhibitor Captopril, blood pressure is lowered and the development of kidney disease is prevented. With the help of diuretics: Furosemide, Veroshpiron, excess water is removed from the tissue.
If the etiology of swelling is a hormonal imbalance, which occurs against the background of type 2 diabetes, then the diabetic will be helped by maintenance therapy. You can relieve swelling with the help of mineral and vitamin complexes. For neuropathy, a diabetic is prescribed an analgesic (Ketorol, Ketorolac). To treat skin defects in diabetes, it is better to use Betadine, Miramistin or Hydrogen Peroxide.
Treatment with folk remedies is preferred more by older people. Homemade ointments with honey and eucalyptus tincture relieve swelling of the lower extremities. They are rubbed into the skin 2-3 times a day. If your leg swells, decoctions of primrose, ginseng root, burdock, oats or hydrastis help. For preparing decoctions 1 tbsp. l. dry collection, pour 200-250 g of boiling water and let it brew. Figs will help reduce swelling. To prepare a fig drink, add some fruit to water and bring to a boil. One tablespoon of fig water helps remove excess water from soft tissues. You need to take the tincture 5 times a day until the symptoms completely disappear.
If a patient's legs swell from time to time due to diabetes, then it is necessary to take preventive measures.
A diabetic person needs to carefully examine their feet every day. The soles, intertoes and feet need to be given more attention. Hygiene procedures are carried out daily. It is advisable to wash your feet with cool water throughout the day. If a diabetic develops skin diseases, they should be treated promptly and not neglected.
To nourish the skin of the feet, it is recommended to use fatty nourishing creams. To prevent swelling, you can massage your feet with essential oil. Physical activity and therapeutic exercises are beneficial for diabetics. Diet for diabetes should exclude excessive consumption of foods that contain sugar. A diabetic needs more rest. In this case, the legs should be higher than the body.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that can be accompanied by a host of unpleasant diseases. One of these can be called edema of the lower extremities. As soon as swelling occurs, it is immediately necessary to look for the causes and provide maximum foot care.
This will make it possible to restore impaired blood flow through the veins and minimize the development of neuropathy. If this is not done, persistent swelling will cause partial or even complete amputation of the leg.
What to do and how to prevent terrible complications can be learned from this material.
Leg swelling due to diabetes is a problem that can be easily prevented. Long before this symptom, you can begin to take good care of your health.
Such moments should not only worry a diabetic, but also force him to see a doctor to find out the cause of such a process, because swelling is a clear signal of problems in the body..
In diabetes mellitus, not only an increase in the level of glucose concentration in the blood is possible. This disease is also insidious in that it causes swelling of the legs. The reasons for this can be varied:
These reasons reduce the sensitivity of the legs several times and impair blood circulation. It is for this reason that wounds begin to heal much longer, and the legs swell.
A non-healing wound is a serious cause of blood poisoning!
It is strictly forbidden to use alcohol, iodine and brilliant green. These products will further dry out the skin and worsen the problem.
Cracks and abrasions in dry skin will bleed heavily and cause even more discomfort.
In addition to hydration, if you have diabetes, you should follow the following doctor's recommendations in order to avoid swelling of the legs:
It is important to consult with your doctor so that he can prescribe a treatment that will be individualized. Preventive exercises for diabetes mellitus will also not be superfluous. They will help improve blood circulation in the lower extremities and reduce swelling; if you ignore these recommendations, the treatment of diabetic foot and trophic ulcers will become a constant task.
In addition, it should be noted that cayenne pepper will help eliminate swelling, and the result will be immediate. This plant is able to restore damaged nerve endings and blood vessels.
Thanks to this bush, brought to us from South America, you can get rid of many health problems, and puffiness is no exception. This pepper can also treat lichen and psoriasis.
The health of the legs is a very important point for a patient with diabetes, since long-term non-healing ulcers and necrosis of the entire limb are possible. It is advisable to begin treatment before swelling in the legs appears. To understand why swelling of the lower extremities occurs in diabetes mellitus, we should briefly consider the mechanism of their development.
Increased blood glucose levels, especially if there is no treatment for diabetes and health deteriorates sharply, increases the permeability of the walls of small vessels. An excess amount of fluid enters the vascular space, resulting in swelling in the legs.
Increasing changes in protein metabolism, in turn, contribute to an increase in permeability and blockage of small vessels with non-disintegrating protein complexes. There is also a proliferation of the smooth muscle component of the vascular wall, which further disrupts the local blood supply and increases swelling in the legs.
Endothelial dysfunction (the inner wall of blood vessels) combined with increased platelet aggregation, lipid imbalance (increased lipid peroxidation) and autoimmune disorders make microangiopathy irreversible. Properly prescribed and carried out treatment can only slow down the progression of the disease, but not restore original health.
Similar changes are observed not only in the vessels of the extremities, but in the renal tissue. As a result, diabetic nephropathy and, as a consequence, hypertension develop against the background of diabetes mellitus. A constant increase in blood pressure contributes to the disruption of systemic blood flow and the development of heart failure. Swelling in the legs is also a result of impaired systemic blood flow.
Unfavorable factors for the progression of diabetic foot are excess weight, inadequate treatment of glycemia, smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, progressive nephropathy and arterial hypertension.
It should be understood that treatment of diabetic damage to the lower extremities must be comprehensive and permanent. Its goal is not just to relieve swelling of the legs, but to maintain the health of the whole body at some stable level.
Treatment of diabetes mellitus is based on a certain responsibility of the individual. It is necessary to understand the importance and necessity of following all rules and medical recommendations. Only lifestyle changes will allow you to compensate for diabetes and maintain health for a long time.
Constant monitoring of blood sugar levels, as well as a number of other medical prescriptions (glucose levels in urine, regular examination by an ophthalmologist and surgeon), will allow you to replace one medicine with another in time to maintain balance.
You can relieve swelling of the legs at the initial stage by resting in a horizontal position and light massage. However, the main key to successfully maintaining leg health in diabetes mellitus is a set of preventive measures:
Compliance with all the rules will avoid the progression of diabetic angiopathy and prevent gangrene and amputation of the lower limb.
Director of the Diabetes Institute: “Throw away your blood glucose meter and test strips. No more Metformin, Diabeton, Siofor, Glucophage and Januvia! Treat him with this. »
Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus is one of the signs of systemic vascular damage. Careful treatment is necessary to prevent the development of trophic ulcers and limb amputation.
Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus is one of the symptoms of micro- and macroangiopathy. As a result of a systemic and long-term violation of not only carbohydrate, but also all other types of metabolism in the human body, damage to small and large vessels is observed.
In parallel with these disorders, diabetic foot syndrome (or macroangiopathy) develops in the body of a person suffering from diabetes. This is a complex damage to soft tissues, skin, joints, vessels of various sizes and nerve trunks of the lower extremities. As a result, a gradual (sometimes quite rapid) irreversible violation of the trophism of the lower limb and its necrosis develops.
Swelling in the feet occurs early in diabetic foot disease and indicates the need to begin treatment to maintain foot health. Often a person feels characteristic symptoms at even earlier stages - before swelling in the legs occurs. These include:
In addition to these subjective symptoms, the results of special methods may indicate incipient angiopathy of the lower extremities:
Subsequently, swelling in the legs occurs, the person notices constant pallor or marbling (spotting) of the legs, and a decrease in the temperature of the skin. As diabetes progresses, the above symptoms persist and increase. A person complains of constant weakness in the legs, and visually noticeable wasting of the skin and muscles. The results of a thermal imaging examination demonstrate the so-called “amputation of the foot,” that is, an almost total disruption of blood microcirculation in the legs.
There are various options for damage to the lower extremities with diabetes (sometimes one transforms into another). Initially, only swelling in the legs is observed (so-called angioedema). Then calluses, excessively dry and thickened skin (hyperkeratosis) are formed, after which a neuropathic ulcer occurs in most patients with diabetes.
A diabetic ulcer is painless, but heals very poorly, often accompanied by a secondary infection of a bacterial nature, which contributes to an even greater deterioration of the condition of the lower limb.
It should be understood that changes in tissues in diabetic foot are irreversible and are not capable of spontaneous disappearance. If you do not relieve leg swelling and continue the necessary treatment, your leg health will only worsen. A diabetic ulcer will spread wider (to areas that are still healthy) and also deeper, damaging muscles, bones and joints. In the worst case, gangrene develops in the entire lower limb.
In order to avoid serious consequences from a physical and moral point of view, it is necessary to promptly learn to recognize some changes in blood circulation in the legs.
First of all, it is important to pay close attention to any changes in sensations, for example, you should be wary of:
Medicine knows a number of signs that in people with high sugar indicate the onset of a pathological process. These could be:
Even a minor scratch can become the beginning of the development of serious purulent inflammation, which may well provoke gangrene with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, treatment cannot be ignored.
It is these dangerous consequences that can become an incentive to contact a doctor as early as possible, which will make it possible to begin adequate treatment.
Every morning, immediately after waking up, a patient with diabetes should carefully examine their feet. It is necessary to examine the limbs for the presence of fresh wounds or injuries.
If any are detected, then treatment will be required. Foot care will include the need to disinfect the affected organs and bandage them.
It is extremely important to try to keep the wounds clean, and if they do not heal, then only a doctor will help prescribe adequate treatment and eliminate swelling.
What can you do at home? First, treat the wound. This can be done using:
To reduce the likelihood of wounds, it is necessary to moisturize the skin of your feet every day with a nourishing and moisturizing cream. Dry skin along with puffiness is a double problem that is much more difficult to deal with.
If swelling appears and the legs lose sensitivity, this indicates that the nerve endings are damaged. In this situation, it is important to start treatment and establish peripheral circulation. This will make it possible to relieve the dangerous symptom that occurs with diabetes, as well as swelling. For this, various medications can be used based on:
If you properly and correctly care for your feet with diabetes, this will be the key to excellent health. This approach will help not only reduce swelling, but also minimize the mechanism of development of the problem itself.
Every diabetic who monitors his health and carries out timely treatment will experience a minimum of complications from his dangerous illness.
The following causes of limb damage in diabetics are identified:
The first signs of arthropathy are swelling and redness of the foot. Swelling may be present with any of the above complications, as well as in the case of cardiovascular diseases accompanying diabetes. Without proper treatment, severe swelling of the feet in diabetes leads to changes in the shape of the fingers, subluxations, dislocations and even fractures. The foot begins to hurt, turn red, widen and shorten.
The totality of diabetic foot lesions in modern medicine is usually called a single term: “diabetic foot”. Every patient diagnosed with diabetes mellitus should closely monitor the condition of the lower extremities. The following symptoms should alert you:
To diagnose swelling of your legs, just press the pad of your finger on the area of the lump. If there is edema rather than swelling, there will be a dimple in the area that will disappear within 20-30 seconds.
Treatment of swollen legs, like diabetes in general, requires a holistic approach that includes close collaboration between the patient and the doctor, drug therapy, diet and a healthy lifestyle.
If swelling of the lower extremities is detected, you should contact a vascular surgeon and endocrinologist. Doctors will conduct an examination, diagnose the extent of foot damage and prescribe appropriate treatment. The patient will receive recommendations on proper foot care, and if necessary, the medical staff will perform hygienic treatment of the feet (applying antiseptic, applying medicinal ointments, cutting off calluses).
When diagnosing diabetes mellitus, a foot examination must be performed at least once a year. Standard reception includes:
Caring for the feet of a diabetic patient consists of simple but important rules, which, if followed, can prevent the development of serious complications. Prevention of edema and other symptoms of lower extremity lesions includes:
It should be remembered that drug treatment alone will not bring as much benefit to a diabetic as an integrated approach. Medicines only suppress some of the symptoms of the diabetic condition. A proper lifestyle, diet, physical activity and timely consultations with specialists will help the patient forget not only about swelling of the legs due to diabetes, but also improve the functioning of the pancreas and protect insulin-dependent cells from damage. Be healthy!
Describing the complications that diabetes gives, swelling of the legs can be called the most common consequence of the disease.
The cause of edema of the lower extremities is “diabetic foot” - a whole complex of changes in tissues, which includes angiopathy (vascular damage), arthropathy (joint damage) and neuropathy (nerve fiber damage).
The immediate mechanism for the appearance of edema is expressed in fluid retention in the tissues of the extremities. The altered walls of blood vessels allow blood plasma to pass into the intercellular space, where it accumulates. At the same time, due to impaired conduction of nerve endings, the patient may not notice the discomfort and pain from the resulting swelling.
An unpleasant effect that can lead to swelling in diabetes mellitus is thrombosis of the veins of the lower extremities due to obstructed blood flow. Additionally, swollen feet cause the tissue and skin of the affected limbs to become even more vulnerable to injury and infection. And infectious diseases of the legs for a diabetic patient are a big problem, because wound healing and skin regeneration are slowed down.
Another cause of edema of the lower extremities is diabetic nephropathy, or kidney damage. As a result of the disruption of blood filtration in the capillaries of the renal glomeruli and tubules, the body cannot cope with the removal of fluid. Excess unremoved fluid provokes the development of edema.
Diabetic nephropathy develops gradually over a long period of time. At first it is asymptomatic. Therefore, in patients with diabetes mellitus, this pathology is detected through routine screening.
Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that can lead to the death of the patient. Regardless of its course, nephropathy significantly worsens the patient’s quality of life. Only diabetes compensation is the basis for the prevention and treatment of renal pathology. Therefore, it is so important to carry out competent treatment to prevent the development of serious complications.
With blood glucose levels constantly rising, restoring leg function in diabetes is extremely important. The heaviest load is placed on them; they consist of many capillaries that become clogged, making blood circulation difficult in them. This affects their condition over time. The causes of swelling and the patient’s well-being are interconnected; there are several reasons for the appearance of swelling in the legs:
Swelling of the legs, even minor ones, should be examined by a doctor. With this phenomenon, the sensitivity of the limbs gradually disappears, the wounds do not heal. Timely diagnosis and treatment of edema will prevent the development of inflammatory processes on the surface of the skin of the legs and the removal of limbs.
If a person feels a burning sensation, tingling, pulsation in the limbs, these are the body’s first alarm bells, indicating the need to consult an endocrinologist or neurologist.
If your legs are swollen, the endocrinologist will refer you to a surgeon for consultation. This specialist will perform certain diagnostic procedures (the most common is ultrasound of the blood vessels of the legs). Based on the results of the examination, the surgeon will tell you what to do to prevent severe swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus.
An examination by a surgeon is not the only visit to specialists. With the results of the ultrasound and photos, the patient is referred to a radiologist (for exacerbation of arthritis), a traumatologist (if there are leg injuries), and a neurologist (for neuropathies). After visiting specialists and examination, the patient is prescribed treatment.
Swelling in diabetes does not just happen. They are necessarily accompanied by an increase in sugar in the body. In older people, in addition to diabetes mellitus, they also appear with increased blood pressure or heart problems.
These solutions act gently on the affected skin surface. You should not treat your feet with diabetes mellitus with alcohol-based substances (diamond greens, iodine). Such medicinal solutions dry out the skin, causing even more difficulties in treating edema. To prevent this, you need to apply moisturizer to the skin of your feet every evening.
Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus is best treated comprehensively. To do this, it is better not to burden the kidneys so that they cope with their functions. It is important to follow a diet ; there should be nothing spicy, fried or salty in your diet. More vegetables and sometimes porridge.
If edema in diabetes mellitus is accompanied by heart problems, it is recommended to take medications (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) Captopril, Lisinopril, Valsartan. They lower blood pressure and affect the kidneys, helping them perform the function of filtering fluid.
If your legs swell with type 2 diabetes, you can overcome them using preparations based on oats, St. John's wort, ginseng, burdock, and evening primrose. Patients can make decoctions of these herbs and drink as prescribed by the doctor.
There are many conditions under which excess fluid can be retained in tissues:
But if we talk about diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2, then the main reason for the formation of edema is nephropathy, as well as damage to blood vessels and nerve endings. Since the kidneys, due to damage, are unable to release all the fluid from the body, there is a disturbance in protein metabolism, and according to the laws of physics, excess moisture settles in the areas most distant from the heart - the legs.
For patients suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is imperative to know what needs to be done to prevent and get rid of edema. After all, when wearing shoes, the places where additional fluid accumulates become loci of increased mechanical impact. This can cause the formation of small, non-healing ulcers at first, with progression to full-fledged diabetic foot, the treatment of which is an extremely difficult and lengthy process.
To prevent and cure such a symptom, it is necessary to identify the main cause of the problem. If swelling has developed due to diabetic nephropathy, then you need to:
In cases where the legs swell for other reasons, it is necessary to try to purposefully influence the etiology of the problem:
Often the cause of swelling of the lower extremities is pronounced nephropathy. It slowly progresses to urinary organ failure and often leads to disability and mortality in diabetics. In order to prevent this process, it is necessary to diagnose it in time and begin therapeutic intervention.
The basis of treatment remains:
In critical cases, we need to talk about hemodialysis. But this is only in extreme situations, when complete kidney failure occurs. Edema fades into the background when it comes to saving the patient’s life.
Dosed physical activity can be an excellent way to overcome fluid stagnation and swelling of the legs. Activation of blood circulation increases the tone of small vessels. They begin to work more actively and disperse excess moisture. When walking at least 3 km a day at a normal walking pace, a patient with diabetes will very soon notice the following positive results:
It was not for nothing that the ancient Greeks said: “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” This is also true in this particular case.
Swelling of the legs is an unpleasant symptom that may be the result of hyperglycemia. You can get rid of it. The main thing is to correctly find the cause and influence it purposefully.
Diabetes: leg swelling
Every diabetic knows that his legs are especially at risk due to the disease. Therefore, their care must be appropriate and supervised by the attending physician. This is confirmed by the disappointing statistics on the number of diabetic foot amputations due to type 1 diabetes. The development of diabetic foot is preceded by swelling of the legs.
The cause of swelling of the legs in diabetes may be hidden in angiopathy. This is a disorder of vascular function. Against the background of many years of metabolic disturbances, not only small vessels suffer, but also vital structures.
When swelling appears in type 1 diabetes, you need to start acting immediately, otherwise it will end in necrosis or ulcers on the legs.
Excess glucose in the blood in type 1 diabetes leads to increased permeability of the vessel walls, and a large amount of fluid appears outside the vessels - the accumulation of this fluid explains the swelling of the legs. But the process does not stop there; changes in protein metabolism provoke blockage of small vessels, and the normal metabolic process in them is completely disrupted. Full blood circulation stops, which prevents the legs from regaining their former shape.
The mechanism of development of leg edema can be compared to metabolic disorders in the kidneys in type 2 diabetes mellitus, when fluid accumulates in the kidney tissue and leads to nephropathy. It is quite difficult to restore this process; irreversible destruction begins to occur, and the function is completely disrupted. The result is hypertension. The reason for this is precisely poor circulation, as in the case of the legs, but the result is diabetic foot.
Swelling of the legs: burning in the feet
After the legs become swollen, the worst thing begins for a diabetic of type 1 and 2 - diabetic foot syndrome develops. The syndrome is accompanied by damage to leg tissue; tissue death occurs against the background of hypoxia; this process is irreversible and ends in necrosis.
Excess weight, incorrect treatment regimen, and bad habits contribute to swelling of the extremities with further formation of necrosis. The adverse effect of smoking on the development of diabetic foot has been repeatedly proven; type 1 diabetics who smoke are susceptible to a severe course of the disease with rapid death due to intoxication.
It is important to note that it is swelling that is the first signal of the onset of the necrotic process in the foot. And if prevention has not been carried out, this can result in the rapid progression of necrosis. Is it possible to avoid this? As soon as swelling of the legs appears, the previous treatment needs to be reconsidered.
There is a specific set of symptoms for diabetes mellitus that precedes swelling of the legs:
To confirm the appearance of leg angiopathy, special studies are carried out. During their implementation, a change in local blood flow is observed; it is slow. An uneven temperature of the feet and adjacent areas is also noted during thermal imaging examination.
After symptoms appear, the legs gradually begin to swell. If the examination confirms the risk of pathology, treatment should be started immediately.
The first thing you need to learn is the rules of hygiene for a diabetic, since they are somewhat different from caring for healthy feet. Any injury while cleaning your nails can later develop into extensive ulceration or erosion. And their treatment is no longer so simple due to the characteristics of regeneration in diabetes mellitus - the ability to heal is reduced several times.
With type 2 diabetes, the body copes with negative factors somewhat easier. It is advisable to carry out treatment on the first day of the appearance of edema. But the problem is that swelling is usually relieved by diuretics, and in case of diabetes mellitus this is dangerous and useless. What to do in this case with swelling? Treatment begins with an adequate assessment of the full danger of such a complication of diabetes mellitus, and setting priorities. What is better to do in the morning - smoke another cigarette or treat your feet with an antiseptic and choose quality socks?
Swelling of the legs: treatment
This trivial example is where most of the difficulties with treatment begin. Firstly, the reluctance to give up the bad habit.
Secondly, this habit will soon kill you. That is, with diabetes, the patient cannot settle on an alternative option; there are only two answers - smoke and die or quit smoking and continue effective treatment.
The emphasis is primarily on smoking, since experience has shown that prevention of diabetic foot in type 1 diabetes will be ineffective if the patient continues to smoke. Smoking is clear, now let’s figure out what to do with the leg itself when swelling appears:
This will prevent the progression of swelling, and light self-massage of the feet will remove the initial stage of swelling. Treatment also includes the use of creams prepared from natural plants - cayenne pepper, St. John's wort, oats, burdock. Home treatment with herbs will never be superfluous, but will only help relieve swelling.
Do your feet swell with diabetes? Yes, moreover, this is one of the consequences of an unpleasant disease. By the way, it is quite common, because almost all diabetics face it.
At first glance, this swelling may seem like a harmless phenomenon that will go away on its own. But in reality it's not that simple. If your legs are swollen, you need to start caring for them, otherwise this can lead to irreversible and extremely unpleasant consequences, one of which is amputation of the limbs.
So, what to do and what to do when your legs start to swell?
This condition occurs due to vascular trauma, which occurs due to circulatory disorders in the lower extremities, as well as due to the development of a disease accompanying diabetes mellitus - nephropathic syndrome.
These 2 main reasons, in turn, are a consequence of impaired blood supply. This condition is fraught with poor wound healing, which is why even small scratches become sources of purulent inflammation. And, the completion of this entire chain is the formation of gangrene in diabetes mellitus, followed by complete amputation of the foot or leg.
From the above, we can conclude that it is not the swelling itself that is scary, but the reasons that lead to it. Swelling of the legs only indicates that it is time to take measures to care for the lower extremities.
When a person finds out that he has diabetes, the first thing he should do is not grab his head with the words “how to continue to live?” It is necessary to immediately begin treatment and eliminate all unfavorable factors from your life.
Diabetes is a killer disease, 2 million deaths per year! How to save yourself? Experts from the Diabetes Institute recommend an effective remedy! Read more.
For example, with type 2 diabetes, diet and exercise help initially. with which you can completely get rid of the disease.
all this ultimately leads to the formation of edema and subsequently to gangrene. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo treatment, and do it correctly.
Everyone's feet swell for completely different reasons. However, a diabetic should not think that this will go away on its own, as it happens in a healthy person. What to do first? Be sure to consult a doctor!
During a consultation with an endocrinologist and a vascular surgeon, appropriate examinations will be carried out, based on the results of which doctors will be able to determine the extent of damage to the feet.
Next, patients are prescribed treatment and given recommendations regarding adequate limb care. According to certain indications, hygiene measures are carried out in the treatment room of a medical institution.
You can relieve swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus, when it is just beginning to make itself felt, in a fairly simple way - massage the limbs, or just lie down and give your legs rest. But on top of everything else, a diabetic should never forget how dangerous this symptom is (about the first symptoms of diabetes mellitus here) for his health.
In general, it is necessary to combat edema through an integrated approach to this issue.
Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus, as a result of poor blood circulation, can be eliminated permanently if blood circulation is improved. This can be achieved with proper nutrition and lifestyle changes. There is no difficulty in understanding here: if a person strives to get rid of diabetes, he will cope with swelling in no time.
But if the patient decides that treatment of diabetes, in general, and the removal of edema, in particular, is not necessary, this will soon lead to gangrene and amputation.
Please answer 14 test questions
Congratulations, you most likely do not have diabetes.
Unfortunately, this disease can affect a person of any age and gender, even an infant. Therefore, ask your loved ones to also take this test and eliminate the risk of developing diabetes. After all, disease prevention is cheaper and better than constant treatment. Preventive measures against diabetes include proper nutrition, moderate physical activity, lack of stress and regular blood sugar checks (once every 3-6 months).
If any of the listed signs begin to bother you or someone you know, we advise you to immediately consult a doctor. Remember that symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually appear immediately, while type 2 diabetes can be asymptomatic for several years and a person may not even know that they have it.
The only way to test for diabetes is to have your blood and urine tested.
Based on the test results, there is a high probability that you have diabetes.
You need to urgently consult a doctor and undergo an examination. First of all, we recommend taking a test for glycated hemoglobin and doing a urine test for ketones.
Do not delay your visit to a specialist, because if you do not prevent the development of diabetes in time, you will have to be treated for this disease for the rest of your life. And the sooner you are diagnosed, the lower the risk of various complications.
There is a risk that you will develop diabetes. Do not ignore these signs because once the disease occurs, it will be impossible to cure and will require ongoing treatment. Be sure to consult a doctor.
Even if you don't have diabetes, the symptoms you experience indicate that something is wrong with your health.
With diabetes, the lower extremities are affected over time. This occurs due to poor circulation and innervation in the distal parts of the legs. Most often, diabetic foot develops, but in some cases there may be such a thing as swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus, the treatment of which is necessary. In order to help with this phenomenon, you need to understand how it happens.
Swelling of the legs is evidence of fluid retention in them. Reasons may include:
Swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus most often develops in the presence of nephropathy. In this case, the patient does not experience discomfort in the feet, since as a result of disruption of nerve conduction, his sensitivity decreases. At first, when kidney failure is in the initial stage, the accumulation of fluid in the legs is not very pronounced, and many do not pay attention to it.
If a phenomenon such as swelling of the legs occurs in diabetes, treatment should be prescribed depending on the cause of this symptom. First of all, you need to monitor your sugar level and take all possible measures to stabilize it. After this, it is necessary to understand whether there are concomitant pathological conditions that can cause swelling of the legs:
You can prevent swelling that occurs as a result of prolonged sitting or standing while working by doing a light warm-up during your break. Vitamin and mineral complexes help strengthen blood vessels.
Swelling of the legs in diabetes can be a result of wearing uncomfortable and tight shoes, tights and socks. You should select them according to size. Smoking also plays an important role. Quitting this bad habit can eliminate the development of edema at an early stage.
If edema develops in type 2 diabetes mellitus while taking antihyperglycemic drugs, then you should think about switching to insulin. To do this, you need to consult with your doctor about the need to review your treatment.
If, in addition to swelling of the legs in diabetes mellitus, there is damage to the skin, and there is a danger of developing an infectious process, then antibacterial therapy should be used. For this disease, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used - cephalosporins or synthetic penicillins.
Symptoms of fluid retention in the body can occur in a variety of pathological conditions. But if an alarming signal occurs in the form of swelling of the legs, and also a burning sensation, impaired sensitivity, pulsation appears, then you should immediately consult a doctor to exclude such a diagnosis as swelling of the legs due to diabetes, treatment of which should begin immediately, by monitoring blood sugar levels and eliminating concomitant diseases.
Treatment of leg swelling due to diabetes includes proper care. The patient should be examined daily at the end of each day for scratches and other injuries. If they are detected, treatment with disinfectant solutions is necessary. If you suspect an infection, you should not self-medicate. It is better if the processing is carried out by qualified personnel. It is recommended to massage your feet using moisturizing creams and ointments; the skin should not dry out or form cracks.
Shoes and socks should be made from natural materials. Avoid wearing shoes that put pressure on the foot and interfere with blood circulation, as well as form calluses and corns. Pedicures are not recommended if you have diabetes. The use of sharp metal instruments during the procedure can lead to damage to the skin.