OBJECTIVES. This study was carried out to assess the health related quality of life of patients with T2DM attending outpatients clinics in two tertiary healthcare facilities in Nigeria, using the EQ-5D instrument

METHODS. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the EQ-5D instrument to assess the self-reported quality of life of patients with T2DM attending two tertiary healthcare facilities in south eastern Nigeria. Consenting patients completed the questionnaire while waiting to see a doctor. A priori hypotheses were examined using multiple regression analysis to model the relationship between the dependent variables (EQ VAS and EQ-5D Index) and hypothesized independent variables.

RESULTS. A total of 226 patients with T2DM participated in the study. The average age of participants was 57 years (±10 years) where 61.1 % were male. The EQ VAS score and EQ-5D index averaged 66.19 (±15.42) and 0.78 (± 0.21) respectively. The number of diabetic complications, comorbidities, patient’s age and being educated predicted EQ VAS score by −6.76, −6.15, −0.22, and 4.51 respectively. Similarly diabetic complications, co-morbidities, patient’s age and being educated predicted EQ-5D index by −0.12, −0.07, −0.003, and 0.06 respectively

CONCLUSIONS.Findings indicate that the EQ-5D could adequately capture the burden of type 2 diabetes and related complications among Nigerian patients. Keywords: Validity, Quality of life, EQ VAS, EQ-5D index, Sub-Saharan Africa