Diabetes-Impaired Wound Healing - Research Paper Example

Diabetes-Impaired Wound Healing Abstract One of the major challenges that are faced when it comes to the treatment of the patients with Diabetes is healing of the wounds. A number of ways have been developed with an aim of healing wounds in patients with Diabetes. The commonly used approaches are the natural wound care approach and the traditional wound care approach. This research paper intends to investigate the effectiveness of the two approaches when it comes to healing of wounds in patients with Diabetes in order to determine the method of wound care that produces the best healing outcome. Therefore, the main objective of this study will to find the best method wound care for patients with diabetes between natural wound care and traditional wound care. Even though the two methods were known to be effective, the natural wound care as indicated in the paper is more effective in treating the condition. In future, there is need for researchers to undertake more studies and properly store the information in order to make it accessible and useful. Introduction Diabetes has emerged as a serious metabolic disease that is affecting individuals from all geographic, racial and ethnic origin. With its level at the increase globally, burden from this costly disease is felt by the developed as well as emerging economies. One of the notable countries that have high cases of diabetes is India. For example, in 2013, more than 65 million adults were affected by the disease in India. This number is projected to increase to 109 million if the government does not take major steps to curb new cases of the disease. Some of the notable risk factors for type 2 diabetes in the case of India include positive family history of diabetes, presence of hypertension, having more than 35 years, upper body adiposity, recent weight gain, gestational diabetes and sedentary lifestyle (Ramachandran 2014). Warning signs of diabetes include unexplained weight loss, irritability, frequent fatigue, dry mouth, itching, reactive hypoglycemia, decreased vision, delayed would healing, impotence or erectile dysfunction among others (Allison et al 2014). One of the challenges that are faced while managing diabetes is how to deal with the wounds. Various ways have been established with the main objective of healing wounds in patients with diabetes. Notable methods being applied are natural wound approach and traditional wound care approach. The normal wound healing process involves an orderly transition through three well articulated phases that includes inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the two approaches and reach to a conclusion of the best outcome. My main objective is to argue why natural medicines like honey are better options than traditional methods like ointments Traditional wound care Traditional wound care involves the application of natural products like honey for treatment of the wounds. The advances in medicine have prompted doctors to revisit the traditional methods of wound healing that used natural products in wound care. Honey has been used in aid in wound healing for many years. This is based on the fact that as compared to the ointments, it originates from natural sources and not man-made materials. Essential oils have shown excellent results stimulating the natural wound healing process. Myrrh possesses effective antimicrobial activity, which is why it has been used in the treatment of many diseases. The other substance used in natural wound healing is the propolis, which is collected by bees Apis mellifera from trees. It has antimicrobial, antiulcer, anti-oxidative and antitumor. On its part, honey is an old remedy that has become famous as an alternative mode of treatment especially in the developing countries due to its effectiveness in dealing with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Lotfy, Badra, Burham and Alenzi, 2014). Sugar pastes and honey are identified as useful antimicrobial agents that due to their high rate of osmolarity as well as ability to limit the amount of water that is available for the bacteria. Even though the dilution of the honey by the fluid that is removed by the wound can negatively affect the effectiveness of the osmotic effect, the slow and sustainable production of hydrogen peroxide by some types of honey such as the manuka honey is in a position to maintain antimicrobial effect. Another implication of honey that makes it to be effective in addressing the wounds in patients with diabetes is that it is a deodorant. This is due to the glucose that is found in the honey and which metabolized by the present bacteria leading to the production of lactic acid. The use of honey instead on ointments in wound care originated from tradition and cultural believes of various communities. Even though the medical investigators started to indicate its biological implications in the 19th Century, honey was largely used in the treatment process in the 1920s during the time when contemporary antibacterial agents became available. Based on its positive results, which have been experienced in various countries, honey has been recognized as a major source of treatment of wounds among other types of sicknesses. The types of honeys that have been extensively applied in the treatment of wounds due to their bacteria treatment are the ones obtained from genus Leptospermum. Some of the areas that such genus can be found include New Zealand and Australia. Honey products that are applied in the clinical setting should be regulated and put at the collect standards. Through the application of medical-grade honeys by international regulatory and national bodies in US and EU among other regions, specific honey preparations have been cleared. Although there is need for further research to identify the mechanism that is used by honey during the process of wound healing, some achievements by medical personnel have been made. For example, honey has been noted to have antimicrobial effects. These entail the ability to prevent and limit the viral and bacterial infection. The direct interaction between the microorganisms and honey may lead to some results. These include generation of peroxide, more non peroxide mechanisms, destruction of bacterial cell cycle progression, limiting the level of wound oedema and limiting the development of biofilms. The achievements have also been due to the immunomodulatory effect of the honey. Even though manuka triggers the production of cytokines, the imunomodulation of the honey makes it to have higher antimicrobial activity. Additionally, honey has been noted to possess radical scavenging characteristics that lead to a faster and effective healing process. Another vital characteristic of honey is that it is used as a physiological mediator. This implies that honey has modulatory effects that include remodeling the phases of wounds in diabetes patients (Amed, Dean, Panagiotopoulos, et al 2010). When the wound is at the inflammatory stage, the applied honey is associated with certain events that are used in the healing process. For example there is decreased wound bioburden, changed pain perception and reduced oxidative cellular damage. These processes significantly contribute to the healing of the wound. During the proliferative phase of the wound, honey creates an improvement in the tissue granulation resulting to epithelialization while at the same time reducing the oedema from the wounds. Another effect of the honey is that it increases the wound remodeling process in addition to slowing the formation of scars. Benefits, costs and complications Despite honey being used in wound care instead of the ordinary ointments for quite a long period of time, there is limited evidence that supports its use. Studies done on its healing nature have turned to be of poor quality, limited size and poor trial validity. This calls for further research on the effectiveness of honey in the wound treatment. As far as safety is concerned, honey is exposed to soil-borne organisms that further create damage on the wounds. Even though honey has been seen as affordable alternative method of treatment, the combining of honey with other wound dressings has turned to be an expensive process making the honey products to be costly. Natural wound care Natural wound care methods entail the stimulating of the body to produce hormones and cells to help in the healing process. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an example of a natural wound care method. It involves the inhalation of pure oxygen at three times the normal pressure. Blood carries the pure oxygen all over the body. It helps in fighting bacteria and stimulating angiogenesis. It promotes the release of stem cells and growth factors. Matrix therapy with OTR4120 also helps stimulates growth factors to speed up the process of healing. The OTR4120 helps in restoring the natural cell microenvironment, which aids in preventing an impaired wound healing process (Tong et al. 2014). It helps the healing process by supporting an intrinsic regeneration of tissues. HBOT is important in the natural wound care in the sense that it promotes angiogenesis through increasing the availability of various factors that are needed for wound healing. One the notable factor is the VEGF. Studies done by Yuan et al indicated that there was a mild increase in VEGF after the application of HBOT. Additionally, the experiment that Yuan covered in his studies indicates that once the HBOT was adopted, its effects were not only observed in the wounded skin but also in the non-wounded diabetic skin. This was a clear indication that there is a significant improvement in the healing process through the application of HBOT. Natural wound healing process involves effective interactions of growth factors and extracellular matrix. Extracellular matrix on its part consists of various networks of proteins that are connected by glycosaminoglycans. Once a tissue is injured, extracellular matrix growth connection is disturbed. On its part, OTR4120 offers useful matrix therapy that is used to restore the natural cellular microenvironment as well as signaling of the communication between the cells that is important in regeneration of tissues. As a result, there is a facilitation of healing as the result of internal tissue regeneration. According to the studies done by Yan et al, OTR4120 treatment indicated that there was a positive effect on wound healing (Thanh, Sarah and Aristidis, 2011). The improved healing of the wound is in most cases an indicator of the weight gain in addition to the satisfactory nutritional status. Through the experiment that Yan covers in his studies, it was noted that the weight restoration was discovered to have significantly improved after the application of OTR4120. This resultant weight gain may lead to regenerating effects in the body resulting to treatment on ulcers. YAN study also indicates that a synthetic HS-GAG mimetic OTR4120 increases in addition to improving the diabetic ulcer healing. Thus, for the case of diabetes –impaired wounds, the study indicated that OTR4120 provided a promising and effective therapy. Best method wound care for patients with diabetes As noted in the above discussion, healing of wounds in patient with diabetes is undertaken through various methods. But in this case, the comparison was between the traditional wound care practices that use honey and modern ointments as applied in the natural healing process. The use of honey has been associated with high costs and more damages due to the harmful components that the honey can come into contact with. However, honey was also noted to generate promising results. On its part, the natural care of wounds that consist of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and matrix therapy with OTR4120 methods also indicated positive results. As indicated earlier, HBOT supports angiogenesis, which stimulates the healing process (Tuk et al 2014). Comparing the two methods natural wound care methods are more effective than traditional wound care methods. However, additional research is needed to determine the full potential of traditional wound care methods. Conclusion With the increased cases of deaths due to the wounds that affect patients with diabetes, there is need for developed countries to allocate more funds in their research programs especially on the treatment and managing of diabetes. As noted in the paper, honey is effective in wound care for patients with diabetes. However, more research on its performance and healing process is needed. Once researches are undertaken, the reports must be made available for example through the health magazines and in the internet. In this way, developing countries that are not able to make further research due to lack resources are in a position to get the information. There is also need for local health professional especially the one dealing with diabetes to educate members of the community with diabetes on how to manage their conditions. Similarly, there is need for community to be educated on the proper life style including types of food that are good and the best diet. As the result of such strategies, the world will be saved from the negativities of diabetes. References Allison B et al. (2014). Earlier Onset of Complications in Youth with Type 2 Diabetes. Indian J Med Res 140, November 2014, pp 579-581. Amed S, Dean HJ, Panagiotopoulos C, et al. (2010). Type 2 diabetes, medication-induced diabetes, and monogenic diabetes in Canadian children: a prospective national surveillance study. Diabetes Care 2010; 33:786–791. Lotfy, M; Badra, G; Burham, W; Alenzi, Q. (2014).Combined use of honey, bee propolis and myrrh in healing a deep, infected wound in a patient with diabetes mellitus. Report Information from ProQuest. Retrieved February 13 2015. Ramachandran. A. (2014). Know the signs and symptoms of diabetes. Report Information from ProQuest Retrieved February 13 2015. Thanh, Di., Sarah, E and Aristidis, V. (2011). Delayed wound healing in diabetes: Considering future treatments. Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Tong, M et al. (2014). Diabetes-Impaired Wound Healing Is Improved by Matrix Therapy With Heparan Sulfate Glycosaminoglycan Mimetic OTR4120 in Rats. Information from ProQuest. Tuk, B et al. (2014). Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to Treat Diabetes Impaired Wound Healing in Rats. Report Information from ProQuest. Retrieved February 13 2015. Read More