Yellow Reddish Or Brown Patches On Your Skin
Necrobiosis Lipoidica
This skin condition often begins as small raised solid bumps that look like pimples. As it progresses, these bumps turn into patches of swollen and hard skin. The patches can be yellow, reddish, or brown.
You may also notice:
- The surrounding skin has a shiny porcelain-like appearance
- You can see blood vessels
- The skin is itchy and painful
- The skin disease goes through cycles where it is active, inactive, and then active again
necrobiosis lipodica.
Take action
- Get tested for diabetes, if you have not been diagnosed.
- Work with your doctor to better control your diabetes.
- See a dermatologist about your skin. Necorbiosis lipodica is harmless, but it can lead to complications.
What Is A Yeast Infection
A yeast infection is basically an overgrowth of yeast, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention . Yeast is technically a fungus, which means they are also fungal infections.
Yeast infections are a common struggle for people with diabetes because high blood sugars can easily feed the growth of yeast. When theres excess sugar in your blood, there will inevitably be excess sugar in your urine which leads to the overgrowth of yeast.
The overgrowth of this otherwise healthy fungus can lead to extremely uncomfortable symptoms that are impossible to ignore.
Yeast infections can occur in women and men, but they are certainly much more common in women.
Yeast infections in women with diabetes: Also known as vulvovaginal candidiasis in women, a yeast infection affects the vagina, vulva, and around the opening of your vagina. They can be extremely uncomfortable and hard to get rid of.
The vagina actually relies on the presence of yeast at all times to maintain the complex environmental balance that keeps this part of your body healthy.
Yeast infections in men with diabetes: Also known as jock itch, yeast infections in men are frequently related to wearing sweaty jock-straps for too long. Especially when combined with high blood sugar levels, a sweaty jockstrap creates the ideal environment for the overgrowth of yeast.
What Other Skin Conditions Affect People With Diabetes
People with diabetes can have any skin condition. But sometimes, people with diabetes have a rash or other skin irritation due to:
- Allergic reactions: People with diabetes may have an allergic reaction to oral diabetes medications or injectable insulin. You may develop a rash or hives and swelling at the injection site or elsewhere on your body. Contact your healthcare provider if you think youre having an allergic reaction.
- Bacterial infections: Having diabetes increases the risk of bacterial skin infections. You may develop bacterial infections in eyelid glands or deep under the skin . Infected skin may be swollen, hot, red and painful. Youll need antibiotics to get rid of the infection.
- Dry, itchy skin: High blood sugar and certain skin conditions can cause dry, itchy skin. If you have poor blood circulation, your lower legs may itch the most. Moisturizers can help.
- Fungal infections: A yeast called Candida albicans causes most fungal infections in people with diabetes. Youll have moist areas of tiny red blisters or scales that itch. Skin fungus tends to affect skin folds, including under the breast, between fingers and toes, around nailbeds, and in the armpits and groin. Common fungal infections include jock itch, athletes foot and ringworm. Antifungal medications can help.
Also Check: How Do You Get Blood Sugar Levels Down
Symptoms Of Genital Yeast Infections
Genital yeast infections are one of the most common side effects linked with the use of Jardiance, even though the incidence is low. Diabetes itself may also increase the risk of having a yeast infection.
Recognizing when a yeast infection is occurring is important for early treatment and successful therapy. When you are prescribed Jardiance, be sure to talk to your doctor about what to do if you get symptoms of a yeast infection of the vagina or penis.
Your doctor may prescribe prescription medications or suggest you use an over-the-counter antifungal medicine. Be sure to contact your doctor right away if your symptoms do not improve with treatment.
Symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection in women :
- vaginal itching
Symptom of a yeast infection of the penis in men :
- redness, itching, or swelling of the penis
- rash or sores on the penis
- foul smelling discharge from the penis
- pain in the skin around penis
- tight, shiny skin on the head of your penis
- painful urination or not being able to urinate
- swollen glands near your groin
Some men who are not circumcised may have swelling of the penis that makes it difficult to pull back the skin around the tip of the penis. Balanitis is most likely to occur in men who have a tight foreskin that is difficult to pull back, or who have poor hygiene. An allergy to condoms or spermicides may also worsen balanitis caused by yeast.
How Women With Diabetes Can Reduce Risk Of Yeast Infections
Diabetes poses a host of problems for womens health, and among the most common are yeast infections. In fact, its such a telltale sign that doctors often will test a woman who has recurring infections for diabetes if she doesnt already know she has the disease.
Diabetesparticularly the occurrence of levelscan cause a bodily imbalance that can lead to an overgrowth of yeast, which thrive in warm, moist places, like your vagina. Diabetic women who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar are more susceptible to yeast infections, but there are steps you can take to stave off infections.
Don’t Miss: Where To Buy Sugar Free Chocolate
Yellowish Scaly Patches On And Around Your Eyelids
These develop when you have high fat levels in your blood. It can also be a sign that your diabetes is poorly controlled.The medical name for this condition is xanthelasma.
Take action
- Tell your doctor about the yellowish scaly patches around your eyes.
- Talk with your doctor about how to better control your diabetes. Controlling diabetes can clear the scaly patches.
Prevention Of Yeast Infection
Remember that if your blood sugars are out of control, then you may still get yeast infections despite treatment. In that case, getting blood sugars down will help more than just about anything else to prevent them. Remember that by controlling your diabetes, you will also be preventing other complications of diabetes such as heart disease, nerve function loss, vision loss and more.
You can prevent infections by following some basic principles that help prevent them from overgrowing. They are:
- Wear white, cotton underwear that is not too tight fitting
- Dont wear other tight-fitting clothing that binds in moisture and helps it to grow
- When youre finished with activities that cause you to sweat, take a shower and change clothes right away
- Take showers, not baths and stay away from hot tubs
- Dont use vaginal douches or vaginal sprays, cremes or gels
- When menstruating, make sure to change pads often. Avoid tampons, or change them often, and get the plain kind, not the scented pads or tampons
- Avoid strong soaps and soaps that are scented, as well as changing laundry detergents
Long-term risks or complications of not treating yeast infections
If you dont treat them and let them grow, it can spread. In severe cases, it can overgrow in the entire digestive tract and even get in the bloodstream, which can be a dangerous situation. Most fungal infections dont cause these severe problems, but you will need to have them treated just the same.
Read Also: What Happens When Your Blood Sugar Level Gets Too Low
What Is A Diabetes Rash
Diabetes affects various parts of your body, including your skin. An estimated 1 in 3 people with diabetes will develop a skin rash or other skin problem at some point.
When you have diabetes, your chances of having dry, itchy skin are higher than someone who doesnt have the disease. Youre also more likely to get other diabetes-related skin conditions.
What Is Jardiance Used For
Jardiance is a prescription drug used to help control glucose in adult patients with type 2 diabetes. Jardiance is also approved by the FDA to lower the risk of cardiovascular death in adults with heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Jardiance is given as an oral tablet once daily and is used in addition to diet and exercise. It can be added to other medicines for type 2 diabetes such as metformin, sulfonylureas, pioglitazone, and insulin as well as other heart medications like statins, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and diuretics. Jardiance, classified as an SGLT-2 inhibitor, is made by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly.
SGLT-2 inhibitors have been shown to be effective at lowering hemoglobin A1c levels, improving weight loss and lowering blood pressure in type 2 diabetes. They carry a low risk of hypoglycemia when used alone .
SGLT-2 inhibitors come as single-ingredient products or combined with other diabetes medicines. Other single-ingredient FDA approved medications in the SGLT-2 inhibitor class include:
- canagliflozin
- ertugliflozin
You May Like: What Happens If Blood Sugar Is Too High
Having High Blood Sugars Slows Down The Immune System
In 2015, a research study showed that high blood sugars do indeed slow the immune system in our body down, which may in part account for why yeast infections are hard to get rid of in the diabetes population.
It takes hold by forming a colony of yeast buds. With a large amount of sugar present, these buds may never fully die off, even with treatment.
However, once treatment is stopped, they start to divide and multiply rapidly. Therefore, recurrent infections in people with diabetes and uncontrolled blood sugars may be one that never really goes away.
In Type 1 Diabetes
As women are particularly susceptible to vaginal infections, a study done in 2013 showed that Type 1 Diabetes and vaginal yeast infections were in fact linked to each other. Higher blood sugars correlated with an increased incidence of vaginal infections due to yeast. The study found a direct link between high blood sugars in women and children with T1D.
In Type 2 Diabetes
In 2014, researchers found that women with Type 2 Diabetes are at an even greater risk. The researchers were unable to conclude if this was due only to high blood sugars or another factor.
Watch For Symptoms Of Infection
Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of infections are important. People with diabetes should be vigilant about paying attention to any changes in their bodies that could signal an infection.
Some examples of body changes that you should be alert to can include a rise in body temperature or change in blood sugars foul-smelling vaginal discharge pain with urination, or cloudy, bloody or foul-smelling urine difficulty or painful swallowing changes in bowel habits and warmth or redness at any cut or scrape, including minor trauma locations and surgical sites. Any of these symptoms should be noted and mentioned to the patient’s health care team.
You May Like: How Do I Kill Sugar Ants
Can Eating A Lot Of Sugar Cause Yeast Infection
Eating foods that are very high in sugar has been associated with yeast infections. This type of diet may be especially risky for someone with diabetes, says Dr. Freeman. Recurrent yeast infections may also be due to a poor diet if you are not getting enough iron and you develop an iron-deficiency type of anemia.
What Signs And Symptoms Are The Same In Men And Women
There are diabetes symptoms that both women and men have in common:
When diabetes occurs in women during pregnancy, it is called gestational diabetes. It usually is diagnosed between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. Like in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels become too high. When women are pregnant, more glucose is needed to nourish the developing baby. The body needs more insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. In some women, the body does not produce enough insulin to meet this need, and blood sugar levels rise, resulting in gestational diabetes.
Fortunately, for most women, gestational diabetes will go away once the baby is born. However, women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:
Don’t Miss: What Juice Has The Least Amount Of Sugar
Can Your Diet Cause Yeast Infections
Eating foods that are very high in sugar has been associated with yeast infections. This type of diet may be especially risky for someone with diabetes, says Dr. Freeman. Recurrent yeast infections may also be due to a poor diet if you are not getting enough iron and you develop an iron-deficiency type of anemia.
Can A Man Give A Woman A Yeast Infection
A new study by University of Michigan Health System researchers finds that the presence of yeast in male sex partners do not make women more prone to recurrent yeast infections. Certain sexual activities, however, were linked to increased risk of recurrent yeast infections in women, according to the study.
Recommended Reading: What Are Normal Sugar Levels For Adults
Signs & Symptoms Of A Yeast Infection
The earliest signs and symptoms of a yeast infection are subtle, and easy to ignore at first, but eventually, these symptoms will become extremely uncomfortable.
- Intense itching
- Vomiting
- Needing to pee frequently
If youve never experienced a yeast infection before, contact your healthcare team to help determine what it is before purchasing any over-the-counter medications. Untreated yeast infections can become extremely uncomfortable and painful.
Why Are Infections Risky For People With Diabetes
People with diabetes are more adversely affected when they get an infection than someone without the disease, because you have weakened immune defenses in diabetes. Studies have shown that even those who have minimally elevated blood sugar levels experience worse outcomes with infections. Hospitalized patients who have diabetes do not necessarily have a higher mortality rate due to infections, but they do face longer hospitalization and recovery times.
Read Also: Does Milk Lower Blood Sugar
Why Do Diabetes Medications Cause Genital Yeast Infections
Some diabetes medications, such as dapagliflozin and metformin, may cause yeast infections in both men and women. This could be because hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, is a possible side effect of many diabetes drugs. If a diabetes medication causes hyperglycemia, it may put the patient at higher risk of developing a yeast infection.
Diabetes & Yeast Infection: The Most Relevant Connection
By Elisabeth Almekinder RN, BA, CDE
If you tend to get yeast infections that are difficult to resolve, it could be a sign that you have diabetes. They are more common in people with this chronic condition.
Such infections are caused by a fungus called candidiasis. Severe itching, discharge from the area affected and irritation of the affected area are hallmark signs of a yeast infection. Diabetes is just one of the conditions that can increase your risk of having them somewhere in your body.
Women tend to get them more frequently in their vaginal area, but there are many other places that they can occur. In this article, we will look at why diabetes increases your risk of developing fungal infections such as yeast infections.
Though yeast is always growing in our bodies, it can present a problem by upsetting our bodys delicate balance if it overgrows. Bacteria, which is considered as our normal flora, or bacteria that is present in our body as part of our normal make-up, can also overgrow and offset yeast growth. Both situations would require attention and treatment.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Best High Fiber Low Sugar Cereal
When Fungus Grows Out Of Control
Many kinds of fungus and bacteria live naturally on your skin and inside your body. Normally, you don’t even know they’re there. There’s a balance between them and your immune system that keeps them from causing trouble. But if something tips that balance, the bacteria or fungus can grow out of control and cause an infection.
Diabetes weakens your immune system by making changes to the cells that normally fight germs. That makes it harder for your body to defend and heal itself. As a result, you’re more likely to get all kinds of infections, including thrush.
Yeast infections are a particular problem with diabetes because sugar helps candida grow. High levels of sugar in your blood also mean high sugar levels in your sweat, saliva, and urine. That encourages yeast to grow in places like your mouth and genitals, and you can end up with thrush.
What Causes Vaginal Infections And What Are The Best Treatments
Dr. Dokken answers the question: ‘What Causes Vaginal Infections In Diabetics?’
— Question: What causes vaginal infections and what are the best treatments?
Answer: Women with diabetes are at higher risk for developing vaginal infections than women without diabetes, and, in addition, if the woman’s diabetes is not well controlled and her blood sugars are consistently high, that creates an environment of high sugar in the mucus membranes, and of course, that includes the vagina, and this creates a good environment for the overgrowth of both bacteria and yeast. So, those are the two main areas of infection, the two main causes of infection — vaginal infection in women — are bacteria and yeast.
If it’s a bacterial infection, the woman would need an antibiotic for treatment, and a yeast infection can be treated with anti-fungal agents. So it’s important for a woman to see her primary care provider or gynecologist to have this condition diagnosed as probably one or the other.
The caveat is, if a woman has had a yeast infection recently and the identical symptoms come back, and she’s very confident that it’s another yeast infection, she might be able to use an over-the-counter cream or suppository to treat that infection. And, in addition, if the yeast infection is recurrent, she could ask her health care provider for a prescription for an oral anti-fungal agent like fluconazole.
Don’t Miss: Does Low Blood Sugar Cause Sweating