April 26, 2001
Complications
Question from :
From, USA:
My boyfriend has type�1 diabetes and has been on dialysis for about a year and a half now. He has developed very painful scabs on the ends of his fingers on the opposite hand where he is connected to dialysis. The nephrologist says that they have seen this before with dialysis patients, but there is no known treatment. He has also seen a surgeon, who says there is circulation at the ends of his fingers, but the only treatment he suggested was amputation of the fingertips.
Have you heard of this condition?
Answer:
I have done some checking with our diabetes-friendly nephrologist at our institution to review this question. The consensus is that this is probably related to diabetes-related microvascular disease. That means that there is probably good blood flow in the larger blood vessels but the flow in the small vessels, which supply the skin, is markedly decreased. Amputation is helpful in controlling the pain. There is the risk that they could redevelop, even in digits that have been surgically treated previously.
JTL
