Effects of Diabetes on Wound Healing
Diabetes is a chronic condition brought on by either insufficient insulin production by the pancreas or inefficient insulin utilisation by the body
WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is a chronic condition brought on by either insufficient insulin production by the pancreas or inefficient insulin utilisation by the body. A sufficient amount of insulin controls blood sugar. Uncontrolled diabetes frequently results in hyperglycaemia, or elevated blood sugar, which over time causes serious damage to many different systems in the body, including the nerves and blood vessels.
TYPES OF DIABETES
Type 1 diabetes often known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, is an insulin-dependent condition (IDDM). It is an auto immunological condition that is T-cell mediated. Beta cells are also destroyed.
Signs and symptoms
Fatigue
Weight loss
Polydipsia
Polyuria
Treatment
Insulin injection
Diabetes type 2 It was formerly known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and is not insulin dependent (NIDDM).
Signs and symptoms
Genetics and lifestyle choices including obesity longer lifespans, an inadequate diet, and changing lifestyle
Dry mouth
Polyuria
Nacturia
Signs and symptoms
Dietary and lifestyle changes
oral anti-diabetic medications
Insulin injection
Maturity onset diabetes of the young-The hereditary form of diabetes known as MODY is called on by changes in an autosomal dominant gene that disrupt the synthesis of insulin
Gestational diabetes-The first instance of hyperglycaemia that occurs with gestational diabetes typically occurs during pregnancy. The majority of women experience this condition during subsequent pregnancies, which might result in permanent diabetes.
Signs and symptoms
- White blood cell functionality is impaired when blood glucose levels are continuously elevated. In order for the immune system to work, white blood cells are essential.
- The body’s ability to resist infections and heal wounds is compromised when white blood cells cannot perform as they should.
- Uncontrolled diabetes can also reduce blood flow and alter circulation, which makes it more difficult for the body to nourish wounds. As a result, the wounds might not heal at all or rather slowly.
- Diabetic neuropathy, which can delay wound healing, is a side effect of diabetes. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can harm the nerves in the area, numbing the sensations there. As a result, individuals with diabetes who suffer injuries to their feet may not be aware of the damage caused.
- This risk could be increased by the following factors:
- impaired sweating
- Toe nails infections and dry, damaged skin
- Deformities of the foot, such Charcot’s foot
Why wound healing is slow
Levels of Blood Glucose: The arteries become tight and the blood vessels narrow as a result of high blood sugar levels. This has wide-ranging impacts on both the causes of wounds and the risk factors for proper wound healing.
Low Circulation Blood: flow and oxygen to a wound are reduced as a result of narrowed blood vessels. Red blood cells that deliver nutrients to the tissue perform less efficiently when blood sugar levels are raised. The ability of white blood cells to combat infection is decreased as a result. A wound heals slowly without enough air and nutrients.
Diabetic neuropathy: When blood sugar levels are out of control, the body’s nerves are impacted, and patients may have nerve damage. Patients cannot feel a developing blister, infection, or surgical wound issue when there is a loss of sensation. A diabetic patient may not be able to feel changes in a wound’s condition or the wound itself, so the severity of the wound may worsen and healing may be complicated.
Immune System Disorder: The body’s defence mechanism against infection, the immune system, becomes less effective with diabetes. The immune system is compromised by high blood glucose levels, increasing the patient’s risk of infection. the immune system is negatively impacted by specific enzymes and hormones that the body creates in reaction to an elevated blood sugar level.
Infection: Diabetics are more susceptible to infection because their immune systems are less effective. Infection causes a wide range of health issues and slows down the healing process in general.
Growth factors which impaired wound healing in diabetes
- Chronic ulcers and burns show growth factors, including inflammatory growth factors like TNF-, IL-, and IL-6, and their levels are increased.
- Reduced levels of growth factors like PDGF and TGF- that’s what allow for tissue healing in diabetic wounds. However, in some situations of GF, tissue loss is caused by receptor level as opposed to growth factor concentration in other cases.
- In diabetic chronic wounds, receptor levels drop, preventing gene translation, GF binding to protein macromolecules, and fibrin deposition on the wound.
- It elevated TNF- levels, reduced fibroblast proliferation, boosted apoptosis, and activated the apoptotic transcription factor, forehead box O1, in diabetes (FOXO-1). Reverse processes, such as an increase in fibroblast proliferation and a decrease in apoptosis, can be detected when TNF- is inhibited.
