Diabetes mellitus is a polysymptomatic disease that can manifest itself with many different signs. High blood sugar is not as dangerous as the consequences of its influence. One of the most common target organs for this disease is the legs. The most common pathology of the lower extremities remains diabetic foot, but it is also worth remembering a less dangerous symptom - edema, which requires adequate treatment.
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.
Swelling of the lower extremities in diabetes mellitus is one of the most complex and most undesirable consequences of the disease. It should be noted that this condition occurs equally often in males and females. In order to eliminate swelling of the legs and improve the general condition of a diabetic, it is strongly recommended to take care of a full recovery course, as well as determine the exact causes of this condition.
According to WHO, every year 2 million people die from diabetes and its complications around the world. In the absence of qualified support for the body, diabetes leads to various kinds of complications, gradually destroying the human body.
The most common complications are: diabetic gangrene, nephropathy, retinopathy, trophic ulcers, hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis. Diabetes can also lead to the development of cancer. In almost all cases, a diabetic either dies fighting a painful disease or becomes a real disabled person.
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As noted earlier, edema of the lower extremities in types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus is a fairly common process. This is associated with several conditions; speaking about the first of them, it is necessary to pay attention to the formation of nephrotic syndrome, the treatment of which is very important to begin as early as possible. This diabetic syndrome is caused by an exceptionally long course of the leading disease.
The next factor should be considered injury related directly to blood vessels in type 1 diabetes. This happens much less often in those who have been identified as having the second type of disease. Such complications are explained by an aggravated blood circulation algorithm in the lower extremities, the treatment of which has not previously been carried out.
It is important to understand that all the factors presented here aggravate the degree of susceptibility of the legs, and also destabilize the blood circulation process. This is what affects the extremely long healing of any wounds and injuries, which are very difficult to treat. Moreover, even a scratch that is insignificant in size and depth can be a factor in the development of purulent inflammation. This, in turn, can transform into gangrene and provoke the worst thing - the inevitable amputation of the foot or legs in general in case of diabetes.
It should be noted that this condition never goes away without any characteristic symptoms. That is why it is necessary to know everything about the clinical manifestations associated with the occurrence of edema in diabetes mellitus.
Speaking about this, I would like to draw attention to the fact that a person with normal health may also develop similar symptoms. However, in the vast majority of cases, they will not provoke any negative consequences. Leg swelling in diabetes is most often associated with:
Next, I would like to draw attention to the long-term healing of even minor wounds and baldness of hair in the area of the lower extremities. Thus, when the legs begin to swell with diabetes, this is always associated with specific symptoms. In this case, all that remains is to start correct treatment in a timely manner and exclude the possibility of taking any independent actions that have not been previously approved by a specialist for types 1 and 2 of the disease.
The rehabilitation course for diabetic injuries of the lower extremities should be as comprehensive as possible and carried out continuously. Its goal is not just to relieve swelling, but to maintain the health of the body at an optimal level. Exclusively changing your lifestyle and following all medical recommendations will make it possible to achieve compensation for diabetes. In addition, such treatment will allow you to maintain health over a long period of time.
Diabetes mellitus leads not only to deterioration of tissue nutrition, but also to all kinds of edema. The legs are especially affected, since due to the peculiarities of their anatomical position and the structure of the blood vessels, they are most susceptible to pathological changes. Let's take a closer look at what complications occur with diabetes in terms of edema.
For people with diabetes, checking their feet daily should be a rule. If you miss the beginning of the trouble, you can face extremely unpleasant consequences, the most dangerous of which is leg amputation.
Edema is the accumulation of fluid in body tissues. If it develops, fluid retention occurs. It can be local or general. With general edema, fluid retention in the organs is observed in a very significant volume.
Edema occurs because blood plasma actively passes through the walls of damaged vessels into the intercellular space. This occurs as a result of vascular disease, increased pressure in the veins, pathologies of the autonomic nervous system, kidneys, brain, and so on.
Swelling of the lower extremities negatively affects the general condition of the entire body. A person cannot wear his usual shoes, walk, sit, lie, or rest normally. Often there are pains that interfere with work, rest, and sleep.
Naturally, patients are interested in why legs swell in diabetes. They appear in patients for various reasons. Here are the most common ones.
First of all, the leg on which the swelling has developed increases in size. If you press on it with your finger, it will leave a hole in the skin.
Along with this, swelling is accompanied by other symptoms:
In most cases, swelling does not pose any inconvenience to patients. However, if left untreated, they can lead to side effects. First of all, it is a burning sensation, pain. The skin becomes even more fragile and thinner. But it is known that with diabetes, the skin is already vulnerable, and wounds and cuts on it heal especially slowly. Hence the risk of developing infections.
The most dangerous complication of the disease is deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities. The development of the disease is indicated by the following signs:
Remember that it is forbidden to massage in this state! This will worsen the condition and may even lead to pulmonary embolism, a very dangerous condition with a high risk of death. The first sign of a blood clot breaking off and moving to the lungs is the appearance of shortness of breath and chest pain.
If you have swelling in your lower extremities due to diabetes, do not think that this condition will go away on its own. Edema cannot be treated, does not go away on its own and requires treatment. This is especially true if they are combined with diabetes. The main task of the doctor and the patient is to maintain the health of the lower extremities. Remember that they become the main target of a silent killer.
Edema is treated differentially, depending on the severity of each clinical case. The presence of pain signs, complications, etc. is taken into account. It is extremely important to ensure constant correction of blood sugar levels, dosing of physical activity, and rationing of drinking and salt metabolism.
Medicines are prescribed only as needed. Prescribed drugs that improve blood circulation. For persistent edema, diuretics are indicated.
If treatment is ineffective, extensive purulent, and even more so necrotic processes develop, the foot is amputated. Before this, the doctor must make an attempt to turn wet gangrene into dry.
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To prevent the appearance of edema of the lower extremities, it is necessary to pay great attention to the condition of this part of the body. This is not difficult, but very important. Here's what a patient should do to prevent leg swelling.
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A serious complication such as gangrene develops in people diagnosed with diabetes and is directly related to diabetic foot syndrome. The risk of complications increases if a person has decompensated diabetes for a long time, blood glucose levels exceed 12 mmol and sugar levels constantly fluctuate.
Diabetic foot syndrome is aimed at affecting the lower extremities of diabetics; this disease can occur if high sugar affects the nerve trunks and small blood vessels, this in turn leads to poor circulation.
According to statistics, such a disorder is detected in 80 percent of patients who have had type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus for more than 20 years. If the doctor diagnoses gangrene due to a long-term complication, leg amputation is prescribed for diabetes mellitus.
With elevated levels of glucose in the blood, the blood vessels become thinner over time and begin to gradually break down, leading to diabetic angiopathy. Both small and large vessels are affected. Nerve endings undergo similar changes, as a result of which a diabetic is diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy.
A harbinger of complications can be critical ischemia, which consists of a lack of blood circulation. A diabetic has symptoms in the form of frequent pain in the feet and toes, which intensifies while walking, coldness of the feet, and decreased sensitivity of the lower extremities.
After some time, skin disorders can be noticed on the legs; the skin becomes dry, changes color, becomes covered with cracks, purulent necrotic and ulcerative formations. If left untreated, the greatest risk is that a person will develop gangrene.
Diabetes mellitus may be accompanied by dry or wet gangrene.
With wet gangrene, the affected area has a bluish or greenish tint. The lesion is accompanied by a sharp putrid odor, the appearance of blisters in the area of dead tissue, a blood test indicates the appearance of neutrophilic leukocytosis. Additionally, the doctor finds out how much the ESR value is.
The development of wet gangrene does not occur quickly, but simply at a rapid pace. In a diabetic, the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle tissue, and tendons are affected.
There is a sharp increase in temperature, the condition becomes serious and life-threatening for the patient.
The main treatment for gangrene in diabetes mellitus is surgery, that is, amputation of the leg above the knee, toe or foot. If a doctor diagnoses wet gangrene, resection of the affected part of the body is carried out immediately after identifying the disorder, so that the consequences do not complicate the patient’s condition. Otherwise it could be fatal.
The surgical operation consists of excision of dead tissue that is located above the necrosis zone. Thus, if a person has diabetes, amputation of the entire foot will be carried out if at least one finger of the lower limb has gangrene. If the foot is affected, removal is carried out higher, that is, half of the lower leg is amputated.
In addition to the fact that a leg is amputated for gangrene in old age, the body is restored after intoxication and infection.
For this purpose, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used, blood transfusions are performed, and detoxification therapy is carried out.
In order for the sutures to heal faster and the patient to successfully endure the period after surgery, full rehabilitation is required.
Balance is trained near the bed, the patient holds the back, and performs exercises for the back muscles and arms. If prosthetics are to be used, the muscles must remain strong, since after amputation the natural walking mechanism is disrupted.
If a diabetic is elderly, and the duration of diabetes mellitus is more than 20 years, everything must be done to prevent the development of complications in the form of gangrene.
For this purpose, you need to regularly monitor your blood sugar levels using a glucometer. Once every three months, the patient undergoes a blood test for glycated hemoglobin levels.
It is also important to follow a special therapeutic diet, take a diabetic drug or insulin. If the slightest injury appears on the skin, it should be treated immediately.
The main prevention of complications is hygienic care of the feet, moisturizing them, and washing them. Massaging. You should only wear comfortable shoes that do not restrict your lower limbs. Diabetics should make it a habit to examine their feet and legs daily to detect any damage to the skin early. Special orthopedic insoles are ideal for diabetes.
Doctors also recommend doing preventive exercises of the lower extremities.
Each exercise is performed at least ten times, after which it is recommended to do a light foot massage. To do this, the right foot is placed on the knee of the left leg, the limb is gently massaged from the foot to the thigh. Next, the legs are changed and the procedure is repeated with the left leg.
To relieve tension, a person lies on the floor, raises his legs up and shakes them slightly. This will improve blood flow to the feet. The massage is done every day, twice a day. The video in this article will tell you whether gangrene can be treated without amputation.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF THE RF: “Throw away the glucometer and test strips. No more Metformin, Diabeton, Siofor, Glucophage and Januvia! Treat him with this. »
The legs are perhaps the weakest link in diabetes. All possible consequences and complications from this disease do not neglect the lower extremities. Nerve conduction decreases, all types of blood vessels are weakened and damaged, wound healing worsens, and the frequency of infections increases. All this leads to noticeable problems with the legs. But, in general, diabetic foot develops most often in diabetes mellitus. And edema occurs much less frequently, only with the development of diabetic nephropathy.
Edema and swelling of the legs themselves indicate a disruption in the flow of physiological fluids for one reason or another (tight shoes or underwear, impaired kidney function, heart failure, pregnancy, varicose veins and diseases of internal organs, most often hormonal disorders). If swelling occurs due to diabetes, it is worth suspecting the patient has neuropathy, which leads not only to numbness of the feet and fingers, but also swelling of the diseased limbs. Or nephropathy, which leads to fluid accumulation in the body due to poor kidney function. In this case, the patient does not experience any particular unpleasant sensations, since the sensitivity of the nerve fibers is significantly reduced, and initially the legs swell only in the late afternoon, sometimes in the morning, after waking up. During the day everything goes away, the swelling is not large at first, so the person does not pay special attention to such a sign.
But in any case, swelling is caused by excessive stress on the legs and metabolic disorders. Based on this, it is worth choosing treatment.
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Initially, the exact cause or causes of swelling should be identified. If you know that it may be diabetes, you need to normalize your sugar levels. In addition, it is worth ruling out other related problems. To exclude kidney inflammation, it is worth checking the protein in the urine and measuring the amount of urine per day. To rule out varicose veins, you should carefully examine the surface of your legs for the presence of a network of blood vessels. Problems with the heart and thyroid gland should not be ruled out. But all these diseases can only be ruled out by a doctor; external signs are often deceptive.
Next, it’s worth addressing the side causes of edema. This could be the habit of sitting or sleeping in an awkward position. Standing or sitting work can similarly lead to swelling. You shouldn’t ignore the five minutes and you need to walk around for at least a couple of minutes. It is recommended to drink preventive vitamin and mineral complexes to strengthen blood vessels. Running, exercise, yoga will help relieve pain and improve blood circulation. Uncomfortable shoes or tight tights and socks often cause swelling of the calf muscles. Of course, healthy food and no cigarettes or alcohol - all this has a very strong effect on blood vessels and can cause swelling and swelling of the legs. Well, diabetes will only become a trigger for a terrible chain reaction.
Only an integrated approach under the guidance of an experienced doctor will allow you to get rid of edema not symptomatically, but by treating the root cause. Do not think that swelling is a cosmetic inconvenience, it is always a signal of significant health problems, especially if it is weakened by diabetes!
I have suffered from diabetes for 31 years. I'm healthy now. But these capsules are not available to ordinary people, pharmacies do not want to sell them, it is not profitable for them.
I have type 2 diabetes - non-insulin dependent. A friend advised me to lower my blood sugar levels with DiabeNot. I ordered it online. Started the appointment. I follow a relaxed diet and started walking 2-3 kilometers every morning. Over the past two weeks, I have noticed a gradual decrease in sugar on the glucometer in the morning before breakfast from 9.3 to 7.1, and yesterday even to 6.1! I continue the preventive course. I'll write about my successes.
Margarita Pavlovna, I’m also on Diabenot now. DM 2. I really don’t have time for a diet and walks, but I don’t abuse sweets and carbohydrates, I think XE, but due to age, sugar is still elevated. The results are not as good as yours, but sugar hasn’t gone beyond 7.0 for a week now. What glucometer do you use to measure your sugar? Does it show you using plasma or whole blood? I would like to compare the results of taking the drug.
Sorry, dad’s legs are swelling, he says we need to remove excess blood (leeches). But we don’t have those as such, so how can we remove the blood or at least relieve the swelling and numb sensations?
Hello! My husband has diabetes, he has been on insulin for 17 years, he is 32 years old. In recent days, swelling has appeared in the arms and legs. Tell me, is this dangerous? So what should I do?
Hello, my mother has been experiencing swelling in her legs and arms for the last couple of days, please tell me what this could be?
Hello, I have type 1 diabetes, for 15 years now, at the moment I’m 28, everything most important is affected, my eyes, kidneys, legs, on my lower legs for many years I have had necrobiosis lipoidica and nephropathy, my legs are very numb, three days ago There is swelling on the right leg, from the ankle and below, the doctor sees him only on Friday, what should I do? Scary!
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Diabetics should take extra, special care of their feet. Swelling in the legs is a signal that there is a problem with blood circulation in the body, which can later lead to neuropathy (damage to the nerves in the limbs). When this condition becomes severe, it can lead to amputation of the feet or legs. Diabetic patients should check their feet daily, visit the doctor regularly and have their feet examined to take action against this serious problem.
Why do legs swell ? In order to understand and promptly recognize a dangerous signal, it is necessary to consider the reasons for their appearance. People with diabetes need to recognize how their feet should feel, so they learn to recognize the warning signs before their feet actually start to swell. An important sign is when you feel tingling in your legs. Numbness, throbbing, or a burning sensation in the legs are also signs. If any of these symptoms occur, check your blood sugar levels and contact your doctor.
Diabetics need daily foot care , checking for any fresh cuts, scrapes or blisters. Clean cuts thoroughly and cover with clean bandages to avoid dirt causing infection. If you notice a wound that won't heal or a red, swollen spot, contact your doctor immediately. Massage your feet daily with creams, oils to make your feet softer and more hydrated. If your feet become dry, they may crack and bleed. Diabetics should beware of infection in the legs as this will increase the severity of any swelling due to circulation problems.
Diabetics should keep their toenails trimmed properly, but not too short. Long toenails are difficult to keep clean and can lead to foot infections. Keeping your toenails healthy and properly trimmed will prevent infections from developing under the nails and will keep your feet free from complications.
Diabetics need shoes that fit properly. Adjust your shoes to avoid causing calluses. Even the socks on your feet should be of excellent quality and made of a material such as pure cotton or wool. There are socks specially designed for diabetics that protect the feet and help with blood circulation. Wear shoes or socks to keep diabetic feet protected from both heat, which causes swelling, and cold, which causes drying and cracking. Wearing proper shoes will protect the diabetic from swelling in the feet, hence reducing possible complications.
Some herbal remedies can help treat nerve damage that reduces sensation in the legs, a condition called diabetic neuropathy . Helpful herbs for treating neuropathy include Cayenne pepper and evening primrose oil. Oats and St. John's wort may also be useful for this purpose. Herbs that improve peripheral circulation include Ginkgo (gymnosperm), Burdock (burdock), Hydrastis (ranunculaceae), and Ginseng.
Cayenne is an effective medicinal plant for diabetics as it treats nerve and blood vessel damage that diabetics often experience. The fruit of the Cayenne plant is used in herbal preparations and helps treat various diseases, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes, psoriasis and lichen. Cayenne is a plant of South America.