Awareness of Diabetes Mellitus & Its Complications in Southern Part of Assam

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus prevalence is high in India and is increasing every year, with strain on the economy for management of this disease and its complications. As the data on the level of awareness and knowledge about diabetes is scarce, this study was done. Material and methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted on 182 diabetic patients attending a tertiary care teaching hospital of north eastern India, over a period of two months, using questionnaire. The clinical and non-clinical data were tabulated and quantitative data expressed as percentage. Results: Among 182 diabetics, 43.96% patients knew about the cause of DM, 25.27% knew polyuria as its symptom, 45% patients had an idea of blood sugar testing, 19.23% knew about its management and 27.47% answered loss of vision as its complications. Majority patients, 58.79%, weren't counselled about the disease. Conclusions: Knowledge and awareness about Diabetes Mellitus was poor in present study population. Hence it is important to extend the diabetic health programs with proper counselling in mass campaigns to improve their knowledge and thus prevent complications.