– Why does untreated diabetes cause parts of limbs to die?
In: Biology
As with most things it’s multifaceted. But the two most fundamental factors are damage to blood vessels and nerves.
Elevated levels of blood sugar causes, to summarize it, a low grade inflammation which over time damage said structures. Blood vessels thicken and nerves can no longer properly send their signals. Thickening blood vessels decreases blood flow and deprive tissues of vital nutrients. Therefore these tissues will, eventually, become necrotic (die). Also; If you get wounds these will not heal effectively and will more easily get infected (since immune cells can’t reach the tissues). The nerve damage also make so you lose your sensation. Therefore you can go a long time without noticing that you have a wound. So when you finally notice it the wound will be large, infected and is unable to heal because of reduced blood flow. The only option left then is to amputate.
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