Awareness and Understanding of Diabetes Complications among Patients of Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an emergent threat to public health, causing a burden of devastating complications and related health issues. In the modern era, the management of DM has greatly depended on awareness and knowledge dissemination and patient education about its significance. Aim: To evaluated the awareness and understanding of DM complications among patients with diabetes. Study design: Cross-sectional study Place and duration of study: Family Medicine Clinics in Faisalabad from 1st Sep to 31st December 2020. Methodology: One thousand, one hundred and eighty diabetic patients with age over 14 years from urban and rural areas were included. Non-consenting and seriously ill patients were excluded. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire based on demographics, personal and familial diabetic history and diabetes complications-related awareness items were used. Results: 83.2% patients were symptomatic, and 16.3% had an incidental diagnosis. Most of these patients were suffering from type 2 DM, and more than 40% never had their HbA1c level checked. Comprehensive assessment of awareness relating to diabetes complications showed that 75.8% knew about muscle weakness, lower limb sensory defect (76.9%), eye problems (70.4%), infections (66.8%), foot complications like amputation (63.1%) and hypertension (62.9%). A significant association was found between age and diabetic history with respect to diagnosis and familial history of diabetes (p<0.05). Moreover, the awareness of DM complications was significant among the patients aged 41 to 65 years (p<0.05). Conclusion: Most of the enrolled patients were aware of complications of diabetes, including muscle weakness, lower limb sensory defect, eye problems, infections, foot complications like amputation and hypertension. Female gender and patients aged 41 to 65 years had a significantly greater understanding of diabetic complications. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Awareness, Complications, Clinical outcomes