The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) called on diabetic patients not to neglect the diabetic foot, and that its main symptoms are wounds, swelling, and bacterial and fungal infections.
PHCC pointed out that having first and second type diabetes leads to many health problems, including diabetic foot, which mainly results from poor blood flow and peripheral nerve damage. Diabetic foot problems are among the most important reasons for hospitalization related to diabetes, in addition to the health burdens on the patient and their family.
Family medicine specialist at Al Wakra Health Center Dr. Murad Mutlaq Miqdadi said that the prevention of diabetic foot problems should be a main goal for any diabetic patient of any kind, pointing out that the best way to protect the feet is to control the blood sugar rate within the normal levels determined by the doctor for each patient individually.
Diabetic foot is defined as a disease that affects diabetics due to the high level of sugar in the blood for a long time, which begins with the appearance of some pathological symptoms in the foot such as wounds, ulcers, swelling, and bacterial and fungal infections. This is as a result of the loss of feeling in the feet due to diabetic nerve damage, the failure to heal wounds and the occurrence of complications that may reach the death of tissues (gangrene) as a result of insufficient blood flow to them due to damage to their own nourishing blood vessels.
Dr. Miqdadi also called on each patient to do a daily examination of the feet and notice any sores, redness, swelling, inflammation, change in skin color, unpleasant-smelling secretions or delayed wound healing and refer to the doctor if any of these symptoms are found.
He warned that in order to avoid any complications of diabetic foot, health tips and instructions must be followed, such as cleaning the feet daily with lukewarm water, checking the water temperature before shedding it on the feet, and making sure that it is dried well, especially between the toes, and moisturizing the feet with an appropriate cream and avoiding placing the cream between the toes.
He added that nails should be trimmed carefully to avoid injury during the pruning process, wear comfortable cotton shoes and socks, avoid narrowing them, as well as not walking barefoot and staying away from smoking, including passive smoking, because of its negative impact on blood flow to the feet, while avoiding placing one foot on top of the other for a long time
