Staph and Diabetes: Why the Risk Is Higher and What Helps

The short answer

If you have diabetes, you are more likely to get a staph infection, and an infection may take longer to clear up. The CDC lists diabetes among the long-term conditions that raise the risk of staph infections picked up in everyday life.¹

Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, lives on the skin or in the nose of about 30% of people and usually causes no harm.¹ The trouble starts when it gets into a break in the skin. Diabetes can make those breaks more common, harder to notice and slower to heal.

Why diabetes raises the risk

There are three main reasons, and they often work together.

• Your immune system works harder. High blood sugar puts stress on the white blood cells that fight infection. People with diabetes get skin infections more often and may take longer to heal from cuts and wounds.²
• You may not feel an injury. About half of all people with diabetes have some nerve damage, most often in the feet and legs.³ A blister or small cut can go unnoticed for days.
• Blood flow can drop. Diabetes can lower blood flow to the feet, and without enough blood flow a sore or infection has a hard time healing.⁴

Research backs this up. A large Danish study found that people with diabetes had about 2.8 times the odds of a staph bloodstream infection picked up outside the hospital. The odds were higher for people whose HbA1c was 9% or above and for those who had lived with diabetes for 10 years or more.⁵ Studies like this show a link, not a sure outcome, but they point to the same lesson: steady blood sugar matters.

Why your feet need extra attention

Feet are where nerve damage and poor blood flow meet. That is why foot care gets so much attention in diabetes care.

International guidelines note that foot infections are the most common diabetes complication that leads to a hospital stay.⁶ In milder foot infections, S. aureus and strep bacteria are the most likely causes.⁶ The good news is that daily checks work: the CDC says catching problems early greatly lowers the risk of amputation.³

What helps

None of these steps is complicated. The key is doing them every day, so they become routine.

• Work with your care team to keep your blood sugar in your target range.²
• Check your feet every day for cuts, redness, swelling, sores, blisters, corns or calluses. A mirror or a family member can help you see the bottoms.³
• Wash your feet daily in warm, not hot, water, and dry them completely.³
• Trim your toenails straight across.³
• Tell your care team about dry, cracked skin on your feet, since cracks are one more way for germs to get in.³
• Don’t go barefoot, even at home, and wear shoes that fit well.³
• Take off your shoes and socks at every checkup so your care team remembers to look at your feet.⁴
• See a foot doctor (podiatrist) at least once a year, or more often if you have nerve damage.³
• Keep cuts clean and covered, and don’t share towels or razors.¹
• Ask your doctor which vaccines you need. The CDC recommends several for people with diabetes.²

For step-by-step tips on small injuries, see our guide to wound care at home.

When to see a doctor

With diabetes, it is better to call early than to wait and see. Contact your doctor or care team if you notice:

• A cut, blister or bruise on your foot that doesn’t start to heal after a few days⁴
• Skin on your foot or leg that is red, warm or painful⁴
• Any sore or ulcer on your foot³
• A bump or wound that is swelling, draining pus or getting worse
• Fever along with redness that is spreading

Get urgent care or call 911 if you have a fever with fast-spreading redness, feel confused, have trouble breathing, or feel very unwell. These can be signs of a serious infection.

Don’t squeeze, pop or drain anything yourself, and don’t try to treat a possible infection with home remedies. A doctor can test it and decide on the right treatment.

Making it part of your day

The habits that protect you are small ones. Tie your foot check to something you already do, like brushing your teeth at night. Keep a pair of house shoes by the bed. Write down any change you notice so you can show your care team.

If you help care for a parent or partner with diabetes, a quick daily look at their feet, with their permission, can catch what they might miss. Many people with nerve damage simply can’t feel a small blister or cut.

If you want a fuller picture of how staph works, our main guide to staph infections covers the basics.