Diabetic Nerve Damage: the Height Connection

by Bob Fleming

If you have diabetes, it may be better to be short than tall.

Why? Well it has to do with those pesky foot and leg ulcers that can cause anything from minor inconvenience to amputation. When ulcers cause serious problems, it's because they have become infected, maybe even leading to gangrene --- which is the major reason for amputation.

In the general population, a simple wound on the foot or leg isn't usually a problem, because it causes some degree of pain that alerts the person to its existence, and they can then seek treatment.

We diabetics, however, are prone to nerve damage, which can mean we have ulcers on our feet or legs and aren't even aware of them until it's too late to repair the damage.

That's where the height difference comes in. According to a study by the National Taiwan University Hospital and reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, taller diabetics are more likely to need amputation than those who are shorter.

The reason? Well the nerves that lead to the legs and feet are the longest in the body, making them especially vulnerable to diabetic nerve damage. Naturally, the taller you are the longer those nerves are, so there is more opportunity for them to deteriorate and lose function. If you are shorter, the shorter nerves are not as open to damage, so you are more likely to feel the pain of a cut or other wound as soon as it happens, giving you a chance to deal with it before it becomes serious.

So, if you're a tall diabetic, is this cause for panic or despair? Not at all. It just reinforces the advice we diabetics have always been given: look after your feet and legs carefully, check regularly for wounds, ulcers or anything unusual --- and get them treated right away.

And that goes for diabetics both short and tall!