Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDiabetes and Foot InfectionsRisksTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Diabetes and Foot Infections
Risks
Treatment
Prevention
Over timetype 2 diabetescan affect all body parts, including the feet. When blood sugars are not controlled, moist areas in the feet are prone to infections.
People with diabetes can experience nerve damage, lack of sensation, and difficulty with wound healing if their blood sugars are chronically elevated (hyperglycemia). This can increase the risk of ulcers or sores, which can become infected if not detected and treated promptly.
This article discusses diabetes and foot infections, including how to treat and manage the conditions together.
Connection Between Diabetes and Foot Infections
People with diabetes are at an increased risk ofperipheral neuropathy, nerve damage that can impact the feet. The risk increases the longer you have diabetes, uncontrolled sugars over long periods of time, if you have hyperglycemia, smoke, and have a family history.
About 50% of peripheral neuropathy is asymptomatic (without symptoms); however, some symptoms may include:
When someone has a loss of feeling in their feet, they may not know when they have a foot injury, when their shoes do not fit properly, or when a foreign object is in their shoe. Constant friction can increase the risk of skin tears, sores, and foot ulcers, leading to infection.
You are more likely to havehammertoesif you have diabetes, which can increase the risk of foot ulcers (open sores), especially if you are not wearingproperly fitted shoes.
Diabetic Ulcer: Improving Healing Success for Feet and Legs
Identifying risk factors for infections can help prevent them from occurring.Certain risk factors include:
Treatment of Diabetes and Foot Infections
Foot infection treatment will depend on the type of infection, history of previous infections, and severity of the infection. Treatment of foot ulcer infections can include:
Treatment of fungal infections between the toes or around the nail bed may indicate topical creams or oral medicines. Lamisil (terbinafine), an allylamine antifungal drug, is the first-line agent in treating these kinds of infections.
Managing Diabetes
Adequate nutrition is also important for treating diabetes and foot infections. A simple and easy meal planning strategy is practicing theplate method. This concept allows for:
Sufficient protein intake, vitamin C, and zinc are also important for wound healing.
Making dietary changes can assist you in managing diabetes and treating infections. A registered dietitian (RD) specializing in diabetes or a certified diabetes care and education specialist can help devise meal plans for your needs.
If you have diabetes, it’s important to practice good foot hygiene, control your blood sugars, schedule a foot exam, and adopt healthy lifestyle habits.
Keep Blood Sugar in Good Control
Eating well, exercising, practicing good sleep hygiene, blood sugar monitoring, and health conditions can play a role in managing diabetes. You should reach out to your medical team if you need support or need to be educated or re-educated on a specific topic. Simple tweaks can make a significant impact; for example, the timing of your medicine can impact your blood sugars.
Practice Proper Foot Hygiene
Good hygiene can help keep your feet healthy and lower your risk of infection. For healthy feet, be sure to do the following:
Have a Foot Exam
If you have had type 1 diabetes for five or more years or type 2 diabetes, it’s recommended that you get checked every year for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.Your primary care provider or podiatrist can assess your feet with visual inspection and other tests.
Lifestyle Changes
What you eat, how you move your body, and how much you sleep play a significant role in managing blood sugars. A healthy lifestyle can prevent or delay diabetes complications, including foot infections. Eating a diet rich in plants, such as fibrous vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, is associated with better blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of diabetes.
Managing and Preventing Complications of Diabetes
Summary
If you have diabetes, certain factors can increase your risk of foot infections. Some of these, such as foot hygiene, glycemic control, and lifestyle factors, are within your control. Other factors, such as genetics, are not. If you are worried about a foot infection, contact your medical team for an evaluation. In some instances, you may need medication to treat it. They can also educate you on proper foot hygiene and help locate resources for which you may be eligible, such as special shoes.
A Word From Verywell
People with diabetes are more likely to experience foot infections if their blood sugars are chronically high, if they smoke, or have other health issues. You can prevent and treat foot infections with lifestyle management. The severity and type of infection will determine treatment. Any time you suspect something is wrong with your feet, contact your healthcare provider for evaluation.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu X, Xu Y, An M, et al.The risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212574. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212574American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012Rodrigues CF, Rodrigues ME, Henriques M.Candida sp. infections in patients with diabetes mellitus.J Clin Med.2019;8(1):76. doi:10.3390/jcm8010076Al-Rubeaan K, Al Derwish M, Ouizi S, et al.Diabetic foot complications and their risk factors from a large retrospective cohort study.PLoS One.2015;10(5):e0124446. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124446Łagowski, D., Gnat, S., Nowakiewicz, A. et al.Intrinsic resistance to terbinafine among human and animal isolates of trichophyton mentagrophytes related to amino acid substitution in the squalene epoxidase.Infection.2020; 48: 889–897. doi:10.1007/s15010-020-01498-1MedlinePlus.Diabetic foot.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your feet.American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.Retinopathy, neuropathy, and foot care: standards of medical care in diabetes—2022.Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Supplement_1):S185-S194. doi:10.2337/dc22-S012McMacken M, Shah S.A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):342-354.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu X, Xu Y, An M, et al.The risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212574. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212574American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012Rodrigues CF, Rodrigues ME, Henriques M.Candida sp. infections in patients with diabetes mellitus.J Clin Med.2019;8(1):76. doi:10.3390/jcm8010076Al-Rubeaan K, Al Derwish M, Ouizi S, et al.Diabetic foot complications and their risk factors from a large retrospective cohort study.PLoS One.2015;10(5):e0124446. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124446Łagowski, D., Gnat, S., Nowakiewicz, A. et al.Intrinsic resistance to terbinafine among human and animal isolates of trichophyton mentagrophytes related to amino acid substitution in the squalene epoxidase.Infection.2020; 48: 889–897. doi:10.1007/s15010-020-01498-1MedlinePlus.Diabetic foot.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your feet.American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.Retinopathy, neuropathy, and foot care: standards of medical care in diabetes—2022.Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Supplement_1):S185-S194. doi:10.2337/dc22-S012McMacken M, Shah S.A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):342-354.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Liu X, Xu Y, An M, et al.The risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212574. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212574American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012Rodrigues CF, Rodrigues ME, Henriques M.Candida sp. infections in patients with diabetes mellitus.J Clin Med.2019;8(1):76. doi:10.3390/jcm8010076Al-Rubeaan K, Al Derwish M, Ouizi S, et al.Diabetic foot complications and their risk factors from a large retrospective cohort study.PLoS One.2015;10(5):e0124446. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124446Łagowski, D., Gnat, S., Nowakiewicz, A. et al.Intrinsic resistance to terbinafine among human and animal isolates of trichophyton mentagrophytes related to amino acid substitution in the squalene epoxidase.Infection.2020; 48: 889–897. doi:10.1007/s15010-020-01498-1MedlinePlus.Diabetic foot.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your feet.American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.Retinopathy, neuropathy, and foot care: standards of medical care in diabetes—2022.Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Supplement_1):S185-S194. doi:10.2337/dc22-S012McMacken M, Shah S.A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):342-354.
Liu X, Xu Y, An M, et al.The risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212574. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212574
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012
Rodrigues CF, Rodrigues ME, Henriques M.Candida sp. infections in patients with diabetes mellitus.J Clin Med.2019;8(1):76. doi:10.3390/jcm8010076
Al-Rubeaan K, Al Derwish M, Ouizi S, et al.Diabetic foot complications and their risk factors from a large retrospective cohort study.PLoS One.2015;10(5):e0124446. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124446
Łagowski, D., Gnat, S., Nowakiewicz, A. et al.Intrinsic resistance to terbinafine among human and animal isolates of trichophyton mentagrophytes related to amino acid substitution in the squalene epoxidase.Infection.2020; 48: 889–897. doi:10.1007/s15010-020-01498-1
MedlinePlus.Diabetic foot.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and your feet.
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.Retinopathy, neuropathy, and foot care: standards of medical care in diabetes—2022.Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Supplement_1):S185-S194. doi:10.2337/dc22-S012
McMacken M, Shah S.A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):342-354.
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