In an effort to bring together the various medical specialists involved in treating diabetes, Bowling Green’s Med Center Health has created a Diabetic Foot Clinic within The Medical Center’s Wound Management Center.

Spearheaded by physician Rebecca Shadowen, an infectious disease specialist, the new center opened in February to address a complicated medical condition.

Diabetes, a disease in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired, results in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood. That, in turn, can lead to damage to blood vessels, a decreased ability to fight infection and other complications.

Peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage in extremities, is the most serious issue related to diabetes and can lead to a loss of one or more extremities. Helping prevent such an outcome is one of the goals of the new Diabetic Foot Clinic, according to Shadowen.

“As you put pressure on your feet and can’t sense pain (because of nerve damage), it can cause ulcers, fractures and ultimately loss of an extremity,” Shadowen said. “It can mean loss of your job and livelihood. The impact on one person’s life and family is tremendous.

“We can’t make the nerves work right, but by applying standards of care developed by national organizations, we can improve the chances of saving those extremities.”

Addressing issues related to diabetes is important, Shadowen said, because of the high incidence of the disease in Kentucky.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, only Mississippi and West Virginia have higher diabetes rates than Kentucky, where nearly 15 percent of the adult population has the disease.

The new clinic is helping address the prevalence of diabetes through education, and helping patients follow a healthy diet and make other needed lifestyle changes.

The presence of various medical specialists allows the clinic to help patients deal with their diabetes more quickly than the norm. Shadowen pointed out that vascular surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, orthotics specialists and infectious disease physicians are available to address each patient’s unique needs.

“Normally, a patient is seen by a primary care doctor, but the problem may not be addressed,” she said. “Sometimes it might be one to two years before they see the specialist they need to see.

“This (clinic) engages multiple specialties and allows the patient to move to the correct specialist. Addressing problems up front makes a big difference in outcomes.”

It’s too early to tell just how much of a difference the new clinic will make, Shadowen said, but the doctor has high hopes.

“This can improve the quality of people’s lives and save them money,” she said. “If we do that, it’s well worth the endeavor.”