April 15, 2006
Diagnosis and Symptoms, Type 2
Question from South Carolina, USA:
About a month ago, my husband had what looked like some kind of bites or stings. Two of these “bites” grew infected. One was seriously infected and looked to be a staph infection. Our doctor gave him antibiotics and it is just now really clearing up. This had to be the nastiest sore I’ve ever seen. It was located right above the knee to the inner side of the leg. Yesterday, he acquired another of these “bites.” This one is on his side right at the waist where his belt will sit. It has started out the same as the others, a round red spot with a tiny spot in the middle. He says they hurt really bad. He could hardly walk with the last one he had above his knee. He went to the doctor this morning and she told him it could be diabetes, that the infection was trying to get out. Will diabetes start as a “sore spot” coming out of your body? Most of these spots have occurred when he gets out of the bed in the morning, as if it were something biting him. I don’t understand why isn’t it getting me also. We’ve not found any spiders or anything that could be causing this.
Answer:
Diabetes can result in poor wound healing. Most often, the damage to the skin occurs by trauma, an insect bite, or some other means. As a result of the diabetes, the body does not heal this well and the bacteria that sit on the skin infect the wound and cause the infection. Blood sugars have to be in the near-normal range in order for the cells of the immune system to kill bacteria and heal wounds. There are a few skin lesions that can appear on the lower extremities that can occur as a result of diabetes. These lesions result in poor healing and ulceration. They do not heal easily and raise the concern of diabetes. You need to speak to your doctor as to whether this uncommon skin condition is present or whether it is the more common secondary infection.
JTL
