In: Nursing
James is a 52-year-old black male who comes to the clinic for a checkup for his diabetes. He tells the doctor that he has noticed that his feet have been getting numb and cold, causing him annoyance and irritation. The pulses in James’ feet are faint and they are pale in color. James is diagnosed with vascular insufficiency secondary to consequences of his diabetes
Diabetic related vascular insufficiency mainly include atherosclerosis. The symptoms found in the above mentioned patient resemble that it is due to atherosclerosis.
Along with other reasons such as smoking, hypertension, high level of fat and cholesterol, high blood glucose level also an important cause of developing atherosclerosis.
High sugar level in the blood leads to the damage of wall of arteries and increese the chance of forming fatty deposits(atheroma). These fatty deposits in the coronary arteries will lead to development of coronary heart disease and also heart attack.
High sugar in the blood of people with diabetesay change blood chemistry and cause narrowing of blood vessels.
The effect of atherosclerosis in the legs include:
#. Paniful cramping of theigh,hips and calf muscle
#. Numbness or weakness of the legs
#. Coldness feeling in the lower legs or feet
#. Slow or weak pulse in legs
#. Change of colour in the legs.