People with diabetes often have altered sensation in their feet, which leads to decreased ability to feel pain, heat, or cold. An injury could be the forerunner to a foot ulcer that becomes infected.
University of Iowa College of Nursing is conducting a study on diabetic foot ulcers. Sue Gardner, RN, associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, talks about diabetic foot ulcers and the study:
Why do people with diabetes lose the ability to feel pain, heat, or cold in their feet?
The central problem is that people with diabetes have an impaired ability to metabolize or use and store sugar or glucose. This leads above normal levels of sugar in the blood at some point during the day and night. As a result, nerves exposed to these high levels of sugar begin to malfunction over time. The loss of the ability to feel pain, heat, or cold is related to damage to the sensory neurons of the feet that transmit those signals to the brain.
What causes or how do ulcers form on the foot?
The loss of sensation leads to foot injury, especially to the bottom of the feet, because the person is unable to sense when there’s a problem. For example, the person may walk barefoot across a hot concrete surface that’s causing a burn and the person is unaware that there’s a problem until it’s too late. Or they may have a rock or some other object in their shoe that, when they walk, puts undue pressure on an area of the foot. In addition to the loss of sensation, there are motor nerves running to our feet that become damaged. When that happens, it causes the feet to become abnormally shaped, causing some areas of the feet to bear more pressure than usual. This repetitive high pressure also contributes to the formation of diabetic foot ulcers.
Why are foot ulcers considered dangerous, especially to a diabetic?
The person with diabetes may have an impaired ability to heal those wounds and may also have an increased susceptibility to infection. If an infection develops in a diabetic foot ulcer, it may lead to infections of deeper structures, such as the bones of the feet, and those infections may then lead to a systemic infection or sepsis. In order to prevent sepsis in a diabetic foot ulcer, amputation may be performed to prevent more serious sepsis.
What will your study look at in diabetic foot ulcers?
We’re going to look at the type and quantity of microorganisms present in the diabetic foot ulcer, and then the outcomes associated with that foot ulcer.
Who can participate in the study?
Anyone 18 years of age or older with diabetes and an open sore on the bottom of their foot.
What will participants be asked to do as part of the study?
Participants in this study will have a study visit every two weeks for six months or less. During that time we will be taking various measurements of their ulcers, including cultures.
What information do you hope to gather as part of the study?
Our study will examine whether or not the wound cultures will provide the information that will identify which diabetic foot ulcers are likely to develop the more serious infection-related complications. That way we could target persons who are at more risk for these complications and treat them with more aggressive antimicrobial therapy in order to prevent the complications from occurring.
If someone was interested in learning more, or participating in the study, who should they contact?
They can contact a member of the research team at 877-807-9590 or locally at 356-4879. |
