Knowledge of Diabetic Complications and Practice of Routine Medical Check-up among Type 2 Diabetics in Nigeria

Awareness about possible complications and regular medical check-up are essential for prevention, early detection and treatment of diabetic complications. Data on a pattern of health check among individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) is scarce; thus we aimed to assess the practice of routine medical check-up.

Methods: A total of 105 individuals with type 2 DM attending a diabetic clinic at the State Specialist Hospital Ondo, Ondo state, Nigeria, participated in this descriptive, cross-sectional study. Participants were interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire to assess knowledge and self-declared practice of routine medical check-up. Data analysed using SPSS version 21, were significant at p<0.05.

Results: Participants were aged 56±9.9 years with a male to female ratio of 1:1.5 and DM 6.7±7.1 years. 90.5% of the participants were aware of possible DM complications.

Specific knowledge about the diabetic foot was highest with 90.5% having good knowledge. 84.8%, 79.0%, and 61.9% of participants also demonstrated good understanding of retinopathy, neuropathy and cardiac complications while participants’ knowledge of cerebral damage, erectile dysfunction and nephropathy were inadequate in 61.9%, 63.8% and 60% respectively.

All participants had their blood pressure checked regularly while only 36.2% (38) ever had other routine medical check-ups. Among these, 25.7% (27) tested their eyes, while 11.4% (12) have checked kidney functions at least once, out of which only 7.6% (8) verified within the last one year.

Neither duration nor participants’ knowledge of DM complications correlated with routine check-up (p=0.313).

Conclusion: The practice of regular medical check-up was poor among type 2 DM, and this may be associated with inadequate knowledge about specific diabetic complications. Awareness should be increased on diabetic complications and need for routine evaluation among type2 DM patients.