With diabetes, leg problems are common. And sometimes, doctors say, some signs may appear when the person himself does not know that he has diabetes. AiF.ru told about how limbs can signal a deficiency of the hormone insulin therapist, endocrinologist, cardiologist Tatiana Romanenko.
Different types of lesions
“Diabetes mellitus is dangerous with the development of complications. Most often they are associated with the development of a problem such as diabetic polyneuropathy, that is, damage to peripheral nerves. The problem is the most common complication and occurs in 75% of patients. For many people with type 2 diabetes, which they are often unaware of, the symptoms of neuropathy can be the first warning bell, ”says Tatiana Romanenko. The specialist notes that with the development of polyneuropathy, nerve fibers become similar to bare wires – all the time under tension.
The defeat can touch large vessels, then they talk about macroangiopathy. If small vessels are affected, then we are talking about microangiopathy. “In diabetic patients, the most common diagnosis is distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy, in which the sensory nerves (mostly long ones) going to the hands and feet are first affected. The first symptoms of polyneuropathy appear, as a rule, in the feet, and it takes longer for the development of polyneuropathy in the hands, ”the endocrinologist notes. Over time, small nerve fibers are also included in the pathological process.
Another variant of leg lesions in diabetes is the development of vascular lesions. This is the so-called diabetic angiopathy. Due to vascular damage, trophism and tissue nutrition are disturbed. In such situations, even a banal callus can become extremely dangerous.
How to recognize?
Naturally, many are interested in how to recognize the problem. After all, some of the symptoms can appear when a person does not yet know that he has such a formidable ailment. Tatyana Romanenko notes that there are a number of characteristic symptoms that indicate damage to both small and large nerve fibers.
Symptoms of damage to small nerve fibers:
- burning or tingling sensation in the hands and feet;
- loss of skin sensitivity to temperature;
- night pains;
- numbness in the limbs;
- feeling of chilliness in the limbs;
- swelling of the feet;
- dryness and peeling of the skin of the limbs;
- increased foot moisture;
- redness of the skin of the feet;
- the presence of calluses, non-healing wounds and ulcers on the feet
Symptoms of damage to large nerve fibers:
- increased sensitivity of the skin of the limbs;
- loss of balance;
- pathological changes in the joints;
- insensitivity to finger movements
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“When sensory nerves are damaged, there is a complete or partial loss of sensation in the limbs. A person does not experience pain with cuts, wounds, burns. Ulcers may eventually develop. If they become infected, infection and gangrene can occur. In this case, the only way out and saving life will be amputation of a part of the affected limb, ”notes Tatiana Romanenko.
At the same time, the neurological manifestations of diabetes can be extremely painful for the patient, the doctor says.
Banal hygiene procedures, the same pedicure, are also becoming a problem. “People can injure their legs during hygiene procedures – there may be cuts and abrasions that they will not even feel,” the endocrinologist notes.
One of the bells can be the condition of the toenails. “Damage to nails looks like a fungal infection. By the way, the fungus itself often accompanies diabetes, since with such a disease the body’s immune defense decreases, ”says Tatiana Romanenko. It is worth paying attention to the size of the arms and legs, since with far-reaching complications, the specialist emphasizes, the muscles atrophy, the same legs, for example, become thin.
If we talk about problems with balance, then it is characterized as follows – people say that they do not feel where their legs are going. It is especially difficult when driving in the dark.
What to do?
Of course, such alarms cannot be ignored. If there is a loss of sensitivity, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. In addition, a daily examination of the limbs should be included in your daily schedule. “It is very important to conduct a daily examination of the feet, and it is necessary to examine not only the lateral parts of the feet, but also the heels, as well as the gaps between the toes,” says Tatiana Romanenko. This will allow you to detect any defects and changes in time and prevent infection and the subsequent development of gangrene.
If a person has dull, aching, tingling or twitching pains, consult a doctor. As a rule, such sensations intensify at night. They also increase when the level of glucose in the blood rises, and then can disappear when it returns to normal. And this soreness often occurs when diabetes has not yet been diagnosed.
So it is better not to delay, but at the first problems with the legs, seek the advice of a specialist. This is also important in order to prevent the transition of diabetes to another stage.
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