Huron-Perth Boomers Summer 2024

y Brandon Wittig and Cai Wilson
According to Diabetes Canada (2020), 11
million Canadians are living with diabetes
or prediabetes. That’s over one-third of Canada’s
population!
Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to
use food properly. When a person has diabetes, their
blood sugar or glucose is elevated, which can lead to
organ damage and can negatively affect parts of the
body. Unfortunately, diabetes can affect almost every
part of your body.
Common diabetes complications include:
• Heart disease and stroke.
• Nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy).
• Foot problems.
• Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).
• Kidney disease.
• Eye disease.
• Issues caused by high blood sugar levels can
affect blood vessels and nerves, in turn reducing
the ability to detect injury, such as stepping on
a sharp object. The immune system can also
become compromised, increasing the risk of
delayed wound healing and infection.
• Skin infections can be caused by bacteria, fungi
or viruses.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology
Association (www.aad.org), there are a few skin
conditions of the lower legs and feet that may appear
even before diabetes is diagnosed, when blood sugar
is not yet well controlled. Leg and foot infections are
common with diabetes and come in various forms.
These can include:
Skin
• Bacterial infection – Erythrasma is an infection
occurring in between the toes, which looks red
and irritated.
• Fungal infection – Tinea pedis can appear as
white, peeling skin in between the toes or on the
bottoms of the feet that may be itchy or cause
burning.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
• Viral infection – Verruca pedis or a plantar wart
is caused by the human papilloma virus and can
be singular or clustered.
• Shin spots, also known as diabetic
dermopathy, occurs on the shins as a brownish,
sunken or depressed line.
• Eruptive xanthomatosis commonly occurs at
the backs of knees but can occur anywhere and
presents as tender and itchy pimple-like bumps
that later become yellow.
• Anhidrosis or very dry and itchy skin is common
in people who have high blood sugar.
• Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum is a rare
condition caused by collagen degeneration in
the skin on the lower legs and appears as raised,
shiny, red-brown patches.
Toenails
• Nail infections are frequently caused by a fungus
of the nail. They are known as onychomycosis and
may cause the nail plate to thicken or become
discoloured.
Prevention of complications
Nail care can be tough, especially as you age and if
you have mobility limitations. As toenails get trickier to
cut, the risk of cutting the nails too short or potentially
cutting the skin grows drastically. Something as simple
as a callus or corn on the feet of people with diabetes
can create problems, leading to wounds, infection
and amputation. Skin and toenail care providers,
such as chiropodists and footcare nurses, identify
these risk factors and provide routine care to prevent
progression to a wound or infection. These clinicians
ensure toenails and skin are properly cared for and
assess for infections and other risk factors.
If you cannot trim your toenails safely on your own,
it is advisable to seek professional help. Advanced
footcare nurses and chiropodists are there for all of
your footcare needs.
Many foot risks in diabetes come from areas of
SUMMER 2024 • 21