Diabetic patients are proven to be more prone to infections especially in the lungs , skin and urinary tract |
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Mr . Muthu has been living with diabetes for the past 20 years . He is supposed to take his insulin injection twice times a day but on and off he misses it .
He suffered a small puncture wound on his sole after accidentally stepping on a sharp stone barefooted in the backyard . His family doctor treated him with a course of antibiotics and did the wound dressing .
After three weeks , Muthu ’ s general condition deteriorated , and the wound became the size of a tennis ball with pus discharge . The orthopedic doctor scheduled him for an operation to remove the unhealthy tissues on his foot . Why did Muthu ’ s wound not heal and what caused it to fester ?
Diabetes results in the blood sugar level in our body to be abnormally high and is damaging to our blood vessels . Over time , the damaged blood vessels supplying the organs of our body becomes blocked and can lead to stroke , heart attack , kidney failure , blindness and poor healing wounds .
Another consequence of diabetes that is less addressed is its potential to increase the risk of infection and , later , sepsis . Diabetic patients are proven to be more prone to infections especially in the lungs , skin and urinary tract .
Sepsis , as was previously highlighted in this column , is a life-threatening body response because of infection which is not being adequately addressed by our body ’ s defence system . Sepsis is the leading cause of death around the world .
So , let us explore how diabetes increases the risk of sepsis . Every day we are exposed to a potpourri of harmful bacteria or viruses called pathogens . Biomolecules called cytokines and white blood cells act as our bodies ’ natural defense against infections .
Wound monitoring is important
Studies have shown that diabetes will dull the production and response of these cytokines and white blood cells . On top of that , a diabetic patient with poorly controlled blood sugar provides an excellent environment for bacteria to grow . The result is harmful , the pathogens can easily gain entry into a diabetic person , rapidly multiply and overwhelm his body leading to sepsis .
Diabetic patients also recover slower from infection as the body ’ s repair framework is less robust . Clearance of harmful toxins and pathogens along with the delivery of essential nutrients for repair and recovery after an infection are impaired due to the damaged blood vessels .
The delayed wound repair causes
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sepsis Alert
By Assoc Prof Dr Tan Toh Leong
and DR LIEW YEW KONG
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the body to be constantly exposed to harmful elements and results in recurrent infection . This will drive the body ’ s defence to a state of exhaustion . Once the body ’ s defence is crippled , sepsis develops .
So , what can a diabetic patient do to decrease his risk of sepsis ? Good blood sugar control will delay or halt diabetesrelated organ damage and render him less prone to infection .
Close and frequent wound monitoring by a health professional is important as a wound , even a simple scratch , should not be taken lightly as it can rapidly fester . A diabetic patient with an infection tends to be admitted as he may need a stronger selection of antibiotics to assist the body ’ s defence in killing harmful pathogens .
Malaysians ’ love and pride for our food are undisputable . This has allowed us to clinch the top spot for a nation with the highest rate of being overweight and also of diabetic patients in Asia .
If no proper prevention program is implemented , we will be seeing more diabetic patients presenting with sepsis and that is certainly a cause of worry . — The Health
Assoc Prof Dr Tan Toh Leong is Consultant Emergency Physician , Faculty of Medicine , Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Founder and President of Malaysian Sepsis Alliance ( MySepsis ) while Dr Liew Yew Kong is Emergency Physician , Hospital Shah Alam and Committee member of MySepsis
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Diabetes results in the blood sugar level in our body to be abnormally high and is damaging to our blood vessels . Over time , the damaged blood vessels supplying the organs of our body becomes blocked and can lead to stroke , heart attack , kidney failure , blindness and poor healing wounds .” |