Pressure ulcers, also called "pressure sores" or "bedsores," may occur if you spend a lot of time confined to a wheelchair or bed. An adequate diet helps protect you against pressure ulcers, though it will not prevent them if you or a caretaker fails to take other measures. If you prove deficient in vitamin B, taking a supplement may improve your health, but the vitamin will not likely prove an effective intervention for pressure ulcers. Because pressure ulcers may lead to potentially life-threatening complications, consult your physician before trying vitamin B or any other alternative treatment for them.
Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers involve a breakdown of your skin and underlying tissues and most often affects skin covering bony areas of your body, including your hips, buttocks, shoulders, ankles, heels, elbows and the back of your head. It doesn't necessarily take a long time for bedsores to develop. They may occur during recovery from a surgery if you are not ambulatory. Pressure ulcers first appear as reddened skin but, if untreated, may turn into a blister, an open sore or a crater.
Diet
The many benefits of B vitamins include improving the health of your skin. It makes sense, then, to get adequate B vitamins as a preventive strategy against bedsores. Dietary sources of B vitamins include beef, chicken, fortified breakfast cereals, eggs, milk, fish, legumes, nuts and green vegetables. If you can't obtain adequate vitamin B from your diet, you may benefit from taking vitamin B supplements. Talk to your doctor. If you are not deficient in B vitamins, you may acquire an excess by taking vitamin B complex and put yourself at risk for unwanted side effects. Other dietary measures to help protect against pressure ulcers include adding more protein to your diet and taking vitamin C and zinc supplements, according to MayoClinic.com.
Prevention and Intervention
To prevent pressure ulcers, reposition yourself -- or arrange for a caretaker to help you change positions -- at least once an hour if you are confined to a wheelchair and at least every two hours if you are bedridden. If you have the strength, change your position in a wheelchair every 15 minutes. If you cannot prevent pressure ulcers, prompt treatment helps them from becoming infected and, in severe cases, damaging muscle, bones and joints. Effective intervention methods include cushioning affected areas with pillows and other types of padding, powdering sheets to reduce further friction, using saltwater to remove dead tissue and applying skin-healing medicines.
Considerations
Bedsores can cause serious, life-threatening complications. These include bone and joint infections, cancer, and sepsis, a condition in which bacteria spreads through your body and may lead to organ failure. Ask your doctor before trying alternative treatments, such as taking B vitamin supplements, as an intervention against pressure ulcers. B-vitamin supplements can cause moderate side effects such as skin flushes, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and headaches as well as more serious side effects, including liver, nerve and brain damage. Serious side effects prove more likely if you take vitamin B in amounts greatly exceeding their recommended daily allowance. Check labels before purchasing or using vitamin B supplements.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin B-3 (Niacin); June 18, 2009
- Medline Plus: Thiamine (Vitamin B-1); May 9, 2011
- Medline Plus: Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2);Nov. 19, 2010
- Medline Plus: Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B-5); Nov. 19, 2010
- Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health: Vitamin B-6
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Learn More about Vitamin B-12 Deficiency; Aug. 3, 2009
Member Comments