Guide To The Causes Of Leg Ulcers

Poor Circulation

An individual who experiences issues with poor circulation in their legs can develop leg ulcers. Someone may experience poor circulation in their legs due to several mechanisms, including the function of their heart, problems with the blood vessels, clotting problems, and blood pressure issues. Poor circulation describes where blood is not moving through the veins back to the heart and through the arteries to be recirculated as fast and efficiently as it should. Leg ulcers are caused by a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells that causes them to die.

The blood in the body has to move at a sufficient pace and carry an adequate amount of oxygen to the distant tissues in the legs for the skin cells to survive and function. Individuals who have chronic problems with the structure or function of their connective tissues, nerve function, muscle function, and blood vessel function can experience inadequate circulation in their legs. Regardless of the underlying cause, the necrosis of skin tissues due to oxygen starvation is the most common way leg ulcers develop.

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Diabetes

Leg ulcers are commonly found in diabetes patients. Diabetes is a disease where an individual's body does not produce a hormone called insulin or does not respond to the insulin the body does produce. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas when an individual's blood sugar begins to rise. This mechanism in the body is essential because high blood sugar is known to cause progressive damage to the kidneys, blood vessels, nerves, and other tissues. In diabetes, the body cannot effectively regulate blood sugar due to a malfunction of the natural blood sugar regulation process in healthy individuals.

High blood pressure induced by poorly managed diabetes can cause leg ulcers to develop due to an ischemic process that occurs in the skin tissues. Neurotrophic ulcers are a type of leg and foot ulcer that can develop in a diabetes patient due to diabetes-precipitated neuropathy. The nerves become damaged from unregulated high blood sugar, leading to circulation problems and reduced pain signals. A diabetes patient may develop a small ulcer from secondary causes that can become enlarged and infected due to the unintentional neglect that occurs with an inability to sense pain.

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