7. Poor Healing
Hyperglycemia causes the healing of wounds to be slower and more difficult than normal. Patients with elevated levels of blood sugar not only show altered healing in acute wounds and slow tissue closure, but they are also more sensitive to chronic wounds, such as ulcerative lesions in the lower limbs, which can lead to unnecessary amputations due to infections. This circumstance is caused by an inhibited or deteriorated inflammatory reaction and by a diminished capacity to release growth factors and cytokines, which provide cells with various beneficial functions. Additionally, a common complication of patients with severe Hyperglycemia is the obstruction of the blood vessels in the lower extremities, which further reduces the capacity of the circulatory system to transport blood and repair cells throughout the body. Subsequently, the phenomenon of epithelialization, which is the closure of the skin from the periphery to the center of the wound, is hindered by insufficiency of growth factors. All these factors combined cause significantly slower healing, and an increased risk of infection.
