Suffering from diabetes? Be wary of this fatal leg condition

Diabetes, a disease caused by excess sugar in the blood, can put an individual at risk of multiple health complications including nerve and eye damage, kidney disease, hearing impairment and poor cardiovascular health. 

Diabetes can also lead to Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), a slow and progressive circulation disorder. 

Diabetes is known to accumulate fat and cholesterol deposits in the body, particularly around the walls of the arteries.

In this condition, blood vessels located in the legs can get narrowed or blocked due to fat deposits, hampering blood circulation and leading to foot pain and issues and movement and mobility. It can also lead to a fatal stroke or a cardiac arrest. 

“The ones who have diabetes tend to also have atherosclerosis which is the reason behind the occurrence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) also called Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD). Those detected with PVD are also prone to heart attacks or a stroke. So, people having diabetes need to take enough care of themselves and stay healthy,” Dr. Vipul Rastogi, a General Physician at Delhi’s Apollo Spectra told HT Digital. 

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According to Rastogi, risk factors of PVD may include obesity, smoking, family history of PVD, stroke, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. 

Symptoms of PVD include leg pain, cramps while walking, numbness and wounds that do not heal. 

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 “The high blood sugar levels can roughen the artery walls and there will be plague formation in the walls of the arteries causing reduced blood flow to the arteries. So, the arms and legs will not receive enough blood, and one will notice tissue damage,” said Dr. Rastogi.

It is crucial to seek diagnosis through an ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI). Once diagnosed, an individual must seek immediate treatment to prevent risk of stroke, cardiac arrest or leg amputation.