OBJECTIVES:Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multi-factorial metabolic disease accounts for more than 95% of diabetic people, caused by insufficient insulin secretion or its action or both. Its prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan as 7.1 million people in Pakistan are diabetic which could be 13.835 million by 2030. A significant reduction in rate of mortality and morbidity has been seen in T2DM patients with appropriate knowledge. This study aimed to assess knowledge and current practices of T2DM among patients in Lahore, Pakistan.

METHODS: This study was conducted in outpatient department (OPD) of three public sector hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. Patients with T2DM were selected by using Epi info epidemiologic software (Version 7.2.1.0; 2017, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA) with 80% power and 95% CI. The knowledge and current practices of enrolled T2DM patients were assessed by using pre-validated and semi structured questionnaire containing 15 items. Data was collected by face to face interview and then analyzed by using SPSS version 20 to estimate level of significance.

RESULTS: Out of 450 enrolled T2DM patients 211 males and 239 females. Among patients, 98% were married, 62.8% were above 50 years of age, 59.1% were using oral hypoglycemic drugs and 59.3% of the patients have diabetes family history. Out of total 52% patients were unaware about normal range of blood glucose level. The mean knowledge score value was significantly higher in males compared to females (p=<0.05). A significant association of knowledge with gender (0.041) and education level (0.0001) was found.

CONCLUSIONS: Majority of T2DM patients are lacking optimal knowledge and ideal self-care practices thus, there is a dire need to develop educational and awareness programs for diabetic patients to better equip them for diabetes management and to improve their quality of life.