Cellulitis is a skin condition that is caused by bacteria, usually the Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species. This infection is characterized by swelling, redness, itching and pain on the skin site involved. Cellulitis usually affects the deeper skin layers of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. It caused deeper infections unlike impetigo and other skin ailments that are usually confined to the superficial layer of the epidermis.
Role of Diabetes on Cellulitis
One of the most common disease states that is linked or associated to cellulitis is diabetes. People with diabetes usually develop skin infections in the form of cellulitis. When a diabetic person has cellulitis, his disease stat aggravates or makes the cellulitis worse.
Why are diabetics prone to cellulitis and cellulitis re-infection?
We usually hear of diabetic cellulitis or cellulitis of diabetics. This is due to the strong role of diabetes on the development of cellulitis.
1. Increased blood glucose – The main problem in diabetes is the uncontrolled rise in blood sugar level. This increased blood glucose in a person is a very good medium for the growth of bacteria, which is the cause of cellulitis. In diabetes, blood glucose rise to a very high level that makes it a favorable environment for bacterial growth.
2. Slower blood flow – The increased concentration of blood glucose makes the blood more viscous or thick in a sense. This makes it harder for blood to flow through the small vessels. Hence, vital blood components find it hard to reach sites where wounds and other skin breaks are found. This slow blood flow has a corresponding slow wound healing consequence. Therefore, many wounds become infected and results to the slow healing in people with diabetes. These open and infected wounds become easy entry points for bacteria to grow and invade the skin. Cellulitis then becomes a common infection for the diabetic.
3. Undetected skin wounds – Some diabetics have a problem with pain perception too. Hence, many of them have wounds in the foot and other body parts that do not receive appropriate attention and cure. This makes cellulitis from diabetes possible as bacteria enter these wounds.
