Some Diabetes Patients Lose Lower Limbs Because of Skin Changes

Reasearchers  have discovered why patients with diabetes develop a condition which leads to amputation of the lower limbs.

About 15% of people with diabetes who have a foot ulcer will need an amputation.

People most at risk of ulcers that lead to limb loss are those with Type 2 diabetes.

In this study, scientists examined 14 patients with diabetes who had had an amputation below the knee. Skin tissue from their two legs were compared - the leg with the amputation below the knee and the healthy leg.

They found that the leg with the amputation below the knee had problems with the connective tissue that supports the skin - the skin had changed. Tissue was being renewed at a much faster rate leading to abnormal collagen. The skin, being weaker, was breaking down faster - a condition which allows ulcers to form more easily.

Now that we know why ulcers can happen, it may become easier to find ways of offering treatments which prevent the ulcer from developing in the first place.

Understanding what happens in the tissue could allow doctors to develop treatments which prevent ulcers developing, and therefore help patients avoid amputations.

Dr. J Tarlton, lead researcher said the results of the study have opened up new avenues that previously nobody knew existed. He, and his team, believe the principles of this research could be applied to other disorders where the tissues are affected by oxygen deficiency, such as ischaemic heart disease.

Dr. Tarlton added that more research is required to understand how widespread this problem is. He believes this breakthrough will mean that ways can be found to improve the quality of a great many people's lives.  

It is not uncommon for a person with Diabetes Type 2 to develop an ulcer in the lower limb which does not heal. Eventually, the condition becomes such that the only effective treatment is to amputate below the knee.

About 15% of people with diabetes who have a foot ulcer will need an amputation.

People most at risk of ulcers that lead to limb loss are those with Type 2 diabetes.

In this study, scientists examined 14 patients with diabetes who had had an amputation below the knee. Skin tissue from their two legs were compared - the leg with the amputation below the knee and the healthy leg.

They found that the leg with the amputation below the knee had problems with the connective tissue that supports the skin - the skin had changed. Tissue was being renewed at a much faster rate leading to abnormal collagen. The skin, being weaker, was breaking down faster - a condition which allows ulcers to form more easily.

Now that we know why ulcers can happen, it may become easier to find ways of offering treatments which prevent the ulcer from developing in the first place.

Understanding what happens in the tissue could allow doctors to develop treatments which prevent ulcers developing, and therefore help patients avoid amputations.

Dr. J Tarlton, lead researcher said the results of the study have opened up new avenues that previously nobody knew existed. He, and his team, believe the principles of this research could be applied to other disorders where the tissues are affected by oxygen deficiency, such as ischaemic heart disease.

Dr. Tarlton added that more research is required to understand how widespread this problem is. He believes this breakthrough will mean that ways can be found to improve the quality of a great many people's lives.

Source: Diabetes In Control: University of Bristol, UK