When you get cut or wounded, the blood vessels supplying that area with blood also get damaged. As a result, the skin and tissues around the injury site die as they do not get enough blood to survive. Normally, your body would start the healing process and the wound would get better in a few days to a couple weeks depending on severity of the damage.
Your body wounds need a good supply of blood to heal along with medical care. But, if you leave your wound unattended or if your wounds do not get enough blood supply, this can lead to infection and eventually gangrene. Gangrene means permanent death of body tissues.
If you have diabetes that is not being controlled, there is a chance that you may get gangrene. The basic culprit behind gangrene in diabetics is high blood sugar.
High blood sugar turns into a toxin for your blood vessels and starts to damage them. When that happens, the blood supply to affected area decreases. The tissues in that part gradually die as a result. The condition worsens when bacteria start to grow in the affected area.
You may not notice this at first because diabetes also destroys your nerves. But you must watch out for these symptoms in the affected area:
- Change of color
- Painful swelling
- Blisters filled with brown red fluid
- Bad smell
- Coldness in the affected area
- Pain the affected area followed by loss of sensation
Diabetes can cause gangrene in the internal organs as well. Talk to your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms. Gangrene is a serious issue and can often be life threatening.
Gangrene can be treated with:
- Antibiotics: Antibiotics are medicines that prevent bacterial infection and may help improve wound healing.
- Restorative Surgery: Your doctors may suggest you a reconstructive surgery. It is a surgery to replace the infected skin with new skin. Removal of the affected area. However, in severe cases the doctors may have to remove the whole hand or leg to stop gangrene from spreading.