Type 2 diabetes: Are your nails yellow? Unusual signs of diabetes on your hands and feet

Samir SharmaNov 29, 2020Health

Type 2 diabetes can offer many different warning signs within the body and outside the body. Changes to the texture, thickness, or colour of your nails can signal that you’re sick before other symptoms appear. When you have a chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes, it’s even more important to pay attention to the health of your nails. What to look out for?

In some people with diabetes, the nails take on a yellowish hue.

Often this colouring has to do with the breakdown of sugar and its effect on the collagen in nails.

This kind of yellowing isn’t harmful. It doesn’t need to be treated.

But in certain cases, yellowing can be a sign of a nail infection.

People with diabetes are more likely than those without diabetes to get a fungal infection called onychomycosis.

This infection usually affects the toenails. The nails will turn yellow and become brittle.

If a person gets a cut on their foot, nerve damage from diabetes may make it hard for you to feel the injury.

Bacteria can find their way into the open sore, causing infection and if a person doesn’t feel the injury and doesn’t treat the infection, it could damage the foot so much that they may need to have it amputated.

WebMD lists the ways to properly care for your feet and nails when you have type 2 diabetes which include:

Wash and Dry Your Feet Daily

Use mild soaps and warm water.

Pat your skin dry; do not rub and thoroughly dry your feet.

Check Your Feet Every Day

Look for blisters, cuts, scratches, or other sores.

Check for redness, increased warmth, or tenderness when you touch an area.

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Take Care of Your Toenails