HIV/AIDS: How HIV spreads and evades the immune system, Pathogenesis and Differences between HIV 1 and HIV 2

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, if not treated. Unlike some other viruses, the human body can’t get rid of HIV completely, even with treatment. So once you get HIV, you have it for life.

What is Diabetic Foot? What are the symptoms of diabetic foot?

Diabetic Foot

Introduction to diabetic foot

The foot is a frequent site of complication in long-standing diabetic patients. The patients usually come with diabetic foot gangrene, ie, necrosis of the foot with super-added putrefaction (The process of decay or rotting in a body). And in majority of the cases the final treatment is amputation of the foot.

What are the causes of Diabetic Foot?

Diabetic foot is mainly caused by injury to the foot followed by infection in the presence of diabetic complications like diabetic neuropathy and diabetic vascular disease.The injury may go unnoticed because most of the time it is a small injury and also because the pain can not be felt due to nerve damage (neuropathy).

Diabetic Neuropathy and Diabetic Vascular Disease

Due to diabetic vascular diseases (diabetic macrovascular disease) in diabetes the blood supply to the foot decreases in considerable amount (ischaemia). 

Diabetic neuropathy also contributes to the formation of diabetic gangrene or ulcer because healing is delayed or hampered in areas with damaged nerve supply (neuropathy).

The extent to which either ischaemia or neuropathy develops varies from person to person.