eli5 Why do diabetics sometimes have to have limbs, particularly their legs, amputated?
In: Biology
Diabetes is a disease in people where the body does not produce insulin (type 1 diabetes) or does not use glucose properly (type 2 diabetes). In both instances, there can be a high level of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.
Uncontrolled high blood sugar damages nerves and interferes with their ability to send signals, leading to diabetic neuropathy (tingling and loss of feeling$. High blood sugar also weakens the walls of the small blood vessels (capillaries) that supply the nerves with oxygen and nutrients.
The combination of poor circulation and lack of feeling in the limbs leaves those areas prone to infection or cell death (from not receiving oxygen or nutrients). Infection can go unnoticed for quite some time, past the point of recovery and would require amputation so the infection does not spread. It is difficult/impossible to get an appropriate amount of antibiotic/antifungal medication to an area with poor circulation.
Poorly controlled diabetes often causes nerve damage and impaired blood circulation in the extremities- both side effects of excess sugar in the blood.
Combined, they mean that minor wounds on the limbs can go undetected, and with reduced blood flow there is no chance to fight infection in the wound. Amputation is often the only course of action.
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