Foot Problems Caused From Juvenile Diabetes

The Face of Juvenille Diabetes Video

Juvenile diabetes, also known as Type-1 diabetes is a disease with children or adolescence. According to the figures, around 13,000 children have been diagnosed with the disease. More so, above one million people live with it everyday. The disease is typically associated with lack of insulin production in the body or body’s insulin being unable to carry out daily functions.

Description

The pancreas produces insulin, which helps in processing of the food we eat and transforms it into energy that is used by our body. Diabetes leads to deficiency of insulin secretion causing disorder in the metabolic process and unsuitably high blood glucose levels. Juvenile diabetes is typically associated with autoimmune annihilation of the B cells of the pancreas that are responsible for secretion of insulin. Such patients need to be given insulin injections to survive.         

Therefore, children affected with Type-1 diabetes become insulin-dependent for living. Further, they also suffer from several life-threatening complications. It is quite difficult to deal with juvenile diabetes, since the patient has to stay on a strict regime, especially for the children, as they typically won’t agree with a restricted lifestyle.  However, if juvenile diabetes is left untreated it may cause serious damages.      

Foot problems due to diabetes      

Nearly one-fourth of the people suffering from diabetes are likely to develop foot problems. Some of the factors contributing to foot problem include combination of neuropathy and poor circulation. Diabetic neuropathy may lead to loss of feeling or loss of sensation in the foot. Essentially, the patient is unable to determine cold, pain and heat. Due to loss of feeling, the patient is unable to feel any foot injury. It may happen that a stone or a tack is stuck inside the shoe and the patient walks with it throughout the day without knowing. They can even get blisters on the feet unnoticed. Moreover, a foot injury might not affect the child until the skin peels off leading to infection. Diabetics with neuropathy can also result in ulcers if the wounds like minor scrapes, pressure sores, cut and blisters are not treated on time there can be serious consequences.    

Diabetic Neuropathy causes nerve damage and this might lead to changes in the shape of the toes and feet. Neuropathy may also cause Charcot feet (complete break down in bone structure).

If a juvenile diabetic patient shows symptoms of neuropathy, they should immediately consult a physician. To diagnose the problem, the doctors will first go through the history and conduct physical examination, after which several laboratory tests are conducted to confirm diagnosis.        

Precautions and Treatment

As a precautionary measure, some diabetic patients with foot problems should wear special therapeutic shoes. Patients should take special attention of their feet on a daily basis to avoid the risk of infection or other foot problems. It would be better to take care of each foot at night to check whether the feet have developed any problems during the day. For more details on proper treatment of foot problems caused from diabetes, visit www.mybadfeet.com.        

http://www.mybadfeet.com/Diabetic_Foot_Education.php 

http://64.124.73.10/HealtheraApps/diabetes/index.htm

 Dr. Maasi J. Smith

www.MyBadFeet.com