People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing complications affecting foot health, one of the most serious and commonly feared being diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).
If not identified and managed early, this condition can progress rapidly and lead to severe consequences.
Chronic hyperglycaemia (elevated blood glucose levels) can cause progressive damage to peripheral nerves and the microvasculature that supplies them. In the feet, this nerve damage disrupts two critical functions:
- protective sensation (the ability to feel pain, pressure, or injury) and
- autonomic control, which includes the regulation of sweat production that helps maintain skin integrity and hydration.
Early signs of DPN often include reduced sensation (numbness, tingling, or inability to feel pain) and anhidrosis (reduced or absent sweating).
These impairments compromise the foot’s natural defenses and increase the risk of skin breakdown, chronic ulcers, infection, and ultimately lower limb amputation. Notably, the presence of foot ulcers and amputations is also associated with significantly decreased life expectancy.
Given the serious nature of these outcomes, early detection and intervention are essential.
Regular foot assessments, glycaemic control, and patient education can substantially reduce the risk of complications and improve long-term outcomes for individuals living with diabetes.
Skyrocket Phytopharma can help you to detect symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy early.
The numbers speak for themselves
Diabetes is one of the UK’s most serious health crises—and its impact on foot health is severe, leading to thousands of ulcers, amputations, and lives altered every year.
people in the UK diagnosed with diabetes
lower limb amputations are carried out in the UK a year as a result of diabetic foot disease
people a year in the UK are surviving with a difficult to treat foot ulcer
of people with diabetes are unaware that foot disease is a common complication of diabetes
How we help
We provide a vital intervention to help diagnose diabetic foot issues before they become too serious in the form of the Neuropad® 10-Minute Screening Test®. We also supply a foot repair foam that has been designed especially for people with diabetes to help soothe, soften and regenerate: the Neuropad® Foot Repair Foam.
