General Surgery Consultant and Head of the Diabetic Foot Treatment Unit at the Farwaniya Hospital, Dr. Nasser Al-Hamidi, confirmed that deaths resulting from diabetic foot disease has reached 35 percent of the number of cases in Kuwait, exceeding deaths from breast cancer.
Al-Hamidi said in an interview with Al-Rai that the Kuwaiti society is one of the people in the world most affected by diabetes, due to unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise, pointing out that the main causes of diabetic foot are inflammation of the peripheral nerves, blockage of the peripheral arteries, high blood sugar and blood pressure. While the failure to produce insulin in sufficient quantity or the inability to benefit from it, leads to the patient losing feeling in the feet.
Al-Hamidi reassured that all the expertise and medical equipment in Kuwait to treat the disease are comparable to those available abroad, warning at the same time against what he called “Al-Hawaj” mixtures and “Morning Tea” recommendations, expressing that they lead to the deterioration of diabetic foot disease.
He expressed his regret that some patients do not trust the work of the doctors, and they come back after the disease has worsened and reached the bone, pointing out that the worsening of the condition forces the doctor to amputate the foot when unable to control the spread of gangrene.
Speaking of the causes that may lead to diabetic foot he said the reasons are many the most important of which is loss of sensation in the extremities as a result of peripheral neuritis, which leads to loss of feeling from wound pain, or blockage of the peripheral arteries as a complication of diabetes, in addition to high blood sugar and blood pressure.
He went on to say high blood sugar can affect the sensory and motor nerves, as a result of not producing insulin in sufficient quantity in the body, or not being able to utilize it properly, which leads to the patient losing feeling in the feet and causing foot problems.
The diabetic patient, he said, must be careful to choose the appropriate shoes so as not to prevent blood from reaching the feet, while not wearing high heels for women, and the same applies to the patient. He should not walk barefoot, so as not to be exposed to injury or feel it, due to the loss of sensation in the feet.
He said injury leads to the appearance of a number of symptoms, including:
– Loss of feeling in the feet.
– Feeling hot or cold in the feet.
– Symptoms of tingling and numbness in the patient’s feet.
– Skin color change.
– Delayed healing of wounds in the foot.
– Swelling of tissue in and around the affected area.
The skin of the patient’s feet turns blue, which is an indication of the inability of blood to reach the legs before the peripheral arteries are affected.
However, not all patients feel the symptoms, especially since many of them suffer from neuropathy, so they do not feel pain. Some patients may suffer from an inability to walk or move. The disease is usually discovered through daily examination of the feet by the person with diabetic foot disease, and follow-up.
Treatment is conditional on the speedy intervention in treating the injury, the necessity of controlling blood sugar levels and blood pressure during the treatment period, taking care of the diabetic foot and not exposing it to any wounds, reducing pressure and walking on the affected foot until the treatment is completed.
This is in addition to taking antibiotics and medications to treat infections, carefully cleaning wounds, and removing dead tissue, to prevent the infection from getting worse, especially in cases of the spread of abscesses and dead tissue in the foot, to prevent the matter from leading to amputation.
Dr. Al-Hamidi pointed out that the diabetic foot patient needs special care and instructions, which are as follows:
1 – Avoid walking with bare feet and wear appropriate shoes and cotton socks.
2 – Examine the feet on a daily basis, and ensure that there are no wounds, sores, or changes in the color and texture of the skin.
3- Do not use hot water, and wash your feet with warm water and soap.
4- Pay attention to the cleanliness of the nails and trim them appropriately.
5- Ensure regular follow-up with the doctor.
6- Maintaining sugar levels in the body.
7 – Early detection of neuropathy, nerve damage, vasculopathy, and osteoarthritis.
8 – Do not neglect the treatment of minor wounds to prevent the penetration of bacteria in them into the tissues through ulcers.
