Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: kennedi on 29/12/2009 08:19:29

Title: What causes gangrene?
Post by: kennedi on 29/12/2009 08:19:29

I am terrrified and confused that I may be watching my father-in-law die. He was taken ill 6 months ago and diagonized with a heart condition and put under medication. But last month he developed pain in his leg and his toe blackened so we took him to hospital(Kenyatta National Hospital-Nairobi-Kenya) where he has stayed in bed for 1 month as we watch his toe-now pread to foot rot away(gangerine). They say they need to do an angiogram but they say his clotting level is low. We have therefore been watching him weaken day by day as doctors tell us the same story. Anyone out there with an opinion please talk to me.

Thanks,
Kennedy

Title: What causes gangrene?
Post by: RD on 30/12/2009 16:13:54

The cause of gangrene is usually inadequate of circulation of blood, (ischemia) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischemia), which causes necrosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrosis).

This ischemia is typically caused by blood clots (thrombi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombi)) blocking the blood vessels.

These clots can block blood vessels in the heart muscle causing heart attack, (ischemic heart disease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischemic_heart_disease)), or cause toes/feet/etc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infarction) to become gangrenous.


http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/14/1197

Title: What causes gangrene?
Post by: RD on 02/01/2010 20:24:19

Quote from: DiscoverDave on 02/01/2010 18:09:28

... diabetics are likely to lose toes to poor circulation (high blood sugar constricts blood vessels, with a worse effect on the tiny ones — eyes (blindness) and toes (amputations)).

I have heretical views on this subject. I believe that the very strong association between diabetes and vascular disease is because vascular disease causes diabetes via ischemia in the pancreas, i.e. it's “vascular diabetes“, not “diabetic vasculopathy”. 

IMO diabetics with vascular disease have another disease process which is responsible for their vasculopathy, e.g. vasculitis, or a pseudovasculitis, (typically thrombophillia), which is destroying their (small) blood vessels, which in turn is causing endocrine disease, (e.g. diabetes / hypothyroidism), nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, via ischemia in those areas.

As I said mine is not the orthodox view on this matter.

Title: What causes gangrene?
Post by: kennedi on 26/01/2010 05:47:30

Dear All who replied to my case;

You insights were very helpful to me an my wife in understanding the pains our father was going through. Unfortunately he has passed on. God bless you.