A diabetic foot infection affects the skin, deeper tissues or bone, and usually starts from a wound or ulcer. Diabetic foot infection treatment in Amman depends on how severe the infection is. It includes medicines prescribed by the doctor and wound cleaning, and may need surgery to drain pus as well as a circulation check.
Note: A fast-spreading infection is an emergency. Go to the emergency department straight away if redness or swelling spreads quickly, you have a fever or chills, the skin turns dark, or you feel very unwell or your blood sugar is unusually high.
Symptoms
- Redness, swelling and warmth around a wound or in the foot.
- Pus, discharge or a bad smell.
- New or increasing pain, although some people feel no pain.
- Fever, chills or feeling generally unwell.
- Blood sugar that is unusually hard to control.
- A wound getting deeper, or bone showing in the wound.
Causes
- Germs entering through an ulcer, cut or crack in the skin; see diabetic foot ulcer treatment.
- Weaker immune defences when blood sugar is high.
- Poor circulation, which reduces how well the body and treatment reach the infection.
- A wound noticed late because of reduced feeling.
- Nail infections or fungal infection between the toes.
Diagnosis
The doctor judges how severe the infection is and how far it has spread by examining the foot, and checks for an abscess or infection reaching the bone.
- Blood tests for signs of infection and blood sugar.
- A sample from deep in the wound to identify the germ.
- An X-ray or other scan if bone infection is suspected.
- A foot circulation assessment; your doctor may request a Doppler ultrasound.
Treatment options
Treatment depends on how severe the infection is, the examination and your general health. Severe infections need urgent treatment in hospital.
- Controlling blood sugar, resting and keeping pressure off the foot.
- Anti-infection medicines prescribed by your doctor, by mouth for mild infections or through a drip in hospital for more severe ones.
- Wound care with regular dressing changes.
- Surgical cleaning of the wound to remove dead tissue.
- Surgery to open and drain an abscess when pus has collected.
- Improving blood flow with angioplasty or surgery if the arteries are narrowed.
- In some cases, removing damaged tissue that cannot be saved, to protect the rest of the foot, as explained on the limb salvage page.
What to expect on the day and after
A mild infection may be treated with close follow-up. A severe infection may need a hospital stay.
- Close follow-up to make sure the infection is responding.
- Taking medicines exactly as prescribed and not stopping them without asking your doctor.
- Continuing wound care and offloading after the infection settles until the wound heals, as described on the diabetic foot treatment page.
- Treatment time varies, and your doctor will explain what to expect in your case.
When to book an appointment
Book an appointment soon if you notice mild signs of infection that are not spreading, such as:
- Mild redness around a foot wound.
- A small amount of discharge from the wound.
- A wound that is not improving with care.
- Infection around a toenail.