Diabetes is a condition that affects the body’s ability to process and control blood sugar.

One common symptom of diabetes is slow-healing cuts or sores, which could be a source of leaking fluid.

This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.

A wound weeping fluid.

jax10289 / Getty Images

jax10289 / Getty Images

What Are Weeping Legs?

“Weeping legs” describes fluid leaking from your legs, often fromswellingor a wound.

Fluid may leak through seemingly intact skin or from new or chronic wounds.

The wetness associated with this issue can make controlling the leak and managing wounds particularly challenging.

A Symptom of Diabetes Complications

Weeping legs can appear with many conditions, including diabetes.

Diabetes doesn’t usually directly cause weeping; instead, it is a symptom of severaldiabetes complications.

Diabetes can impact the overall health of yourskinand your ability to heal from wounds.

Decreased circulation and slow healing in people with diabetes contribute to chronic wounds, such asdiabetic ulcers.

Diabetes also makes treatment and healing more difficult.

Below are additional symptoms and complications of diabetes that can lead to weeping legs.

Your kidneys turn waste and extra fluid from your body into urine and remove these excesses from the body.

If you developkidney diseaseor other fluid balance disorders from diabetes, you might experience severe swelling.

This swelling may lead to leaking fluids through the skin on your legs or blisters formed from the swelling.

When this happens, fluid can build up, especially in the legs.

While these types of injuries can happen to anyone, people withdiabetesstruggle with delayed or slow wound healing.

Chronic wounds and slow healing are major risk factors for developing severe wounds that can weep or leak.

This includes maintaining a healthy, low-carbohydrate diet, taking yourmedicationsas prescribed, and staying physically active.

Most of these dressings focus on keeping the bed of the wound moist and clear of bacteria.

Several home remedies can help heal, slow weeping, and protect healthy skin from constant moisture.

A new fever could signify that your wound has caused a more systemic infection.

Summary

Chronic wounds and ulcers are a common complication of uncontrolled diabetes.

Any one of these problemsor a combination of them allcould cause you to develop weeping legs alongside your diabetes.

American Diabetes Association.Good to know: Diabetes symptoms and tests.Clinical Diabetes.

2020;38(1):108-108. doi:10.2337/cd20-pe01

University of Central Florida Health.Diabetes and leg swelling.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing diabetes complications.

Mein SA, Schwarzstein RM, Richards JB.Sugar, sodium, and water: A recipe for disaster.Annals ATS.

2019;17(8).

In: Rosenbach M, Wanat KA, Micheletti RG, Taylor LA, eds.Inpatient Dermatology.

Springer International Publishing; 2018:399-401.

MedlinePlus.Diabetes: Foot ulcers.

Gianino E, Miller C, Gilmore J.Smart wound dressings for diabetic chronic wounds.Bioengineering.

2018;5(3):51. doi:10.3390/bioengineering5030051.

‘Leaky legs: Strategies for the treatment and management of lower-limb lymphorrhoea.Nursing Times.2015;113(1):50-53.