Pharmacist reveals two early warning signs of a ‘silent killer’ disease that you can spot in your feet

A pharmacist has shared how easy to dismiss foot problems could be a warning sign of a serious health condition. 

Although the feet are not the first thing many consider when assessing overall health—they can offer valuable insight. 

In fact, common problems including cold feet and fungal toenails could be warning signs of heart problems and even diabetes, according to pharmacist Noel Wicks. 

‘We need to keep an eye on our foot health, including our toenails, because it can impact on our overall health and be a sign of [serious] health issues,’ he told The Express. 

For instance, heart disease is caused by fatty blockages in blood vessels supplying the heart—but these blockages can also occur elsewhere in the body.

When blood and oxygen is unable to flow properly through the vessels and to and from the heart, the risk of heart attack and stroke dramatically increases. 

Because the blood vessels within the toes are so tiny, it doesn’t take long for them to get clogged up. 

This can result in cold, numb, painful, or swollen feet, according to Mr Wicks.

What’s more, the compromised blood supply to the feet can also cause the toenails which can become brittle and thick, he added.

Research has found that around one in four ‘healthy’ people aged over 60 have undiagnosed heart disease.  

A fat build-up in the blood vessels — known medically as peripheral artery disease (PAD) — can also cause problems further up in the leg, experts say.

This includes a painful ache in the legs when walking, which usually disappears after a few minutes’ rest.

‘The pain can range from mild to severe, and usually goes away after a few minutes when you rest your legs,’ said Mr Wicks.

‘Both legs are often affected at the same time, although the pain may be worse in one leg.

Tingling, pain, burning, dry skin, cracked skin, blisters or sores that don’t heal, fungal infections and athlete’s foot, are also foot symptoms to be looking out for. 

Problems with your feet could also be a sign of type 2 diabetes, a condition which affect more than 5.8 million people in the UK.

Unusually high levels of blood sugar caused by the disease can damage the delicate blood vessels in the feet, leading to a host of problems.

Commonly, the blood vessel damage leads to the destruction of the nerves that supply the feet, which means sufferers struggle to notice when they’re injured — leading to wounds that fail to heal.

For this reason, diabetes sufferers are also more vulnerable to fungal foot infections, such as athlete’s foot and toenail fungus.

Diabetes may cause persistent fatigue, unexplained weight loss or tiredness after meals.