Although not absolutely settled, it is widely accepted that for people with diabetes, risk for infection is greatly enhanced.  Certainly, anyone can develop an infection. But for patients with diabetes, risk for infection of some specific types show a higher prevalence in diabetics, and have unique characteristics when they occur in diabetics when compared to non-diabetics.

Studying the diabetes risk for infection is made more difficult because infection data is less readily available from reliable sources.

How is an Infection Defined?

Before discussing the diabetes risk for infection, it is helpful to look at the medical definition of infection. It is defined as the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms, which multiply and can lead to tissue damage and disease. This just means that an organism, (including bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses) enter the body and then start to grow out of control. The body responds by …