A Family Physician and Specialist in Charge of the Tema Polyclinic, Doctor Lenusia Ahlijah, has called on diabetic patients to pay attention to their bodies to avoid resulting complications. She said this in an interview on Plan B 104.5 FM morning show dubbed Nkosuo nsem. She said that wounds in diabetic patients take longer to heal because diabetic patients have impaired wound healing abilities.
According to Dr.Ahlijah, high glucose levels can stiffen the blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow, resulting in lack of nutrients and oxygen reaching cells further making it for wounds to heal.
She disclosed that diabetes and high blood sugar can cause nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy, hich causes tingling and numbness, and makes it harder to feel if you’re injured.
Dr. Ahlijah also stressed that diabetic patients do not feel the pain associated with injuries due to the difficulty blood have in flowing through vessels.
“If you had something stuck in your shoe that was cutting your foot, you might not realize it. You could go a long time before noticing there was an issue because you wouldn’t feel pain”, She said.
She added that small wounds like blisters, can go undetected for long periods of time, especially on the feet, because the body is not able to repair itself as effectively, the wounds can get worse, eventually turning into more severe things like ulcers.
She explained that, “When you get a cut, your immune system is responsible for keeping germs and other foreign invaders out. If germs do get in the body, the immune system fights them off and stops infections.”
According to Doctor Ahlijah, when one has diabetes the body ability to produce enzymes and hormones diminishes causing the immune system to be less effective leading to more complications involving secondary infections which ultimately prolong the time required for wounds to heal.
“When people with diabetes get hurt, they need to monitor the wound and take care of it to avoid getting an infection or more severe condition like gangrene,” says Dr. Ahlijah.
Dr.Lenusia Ahlijah admonished diabetic patients to check their body daily for any kinds of injuries to avoid future complications.
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