Objective: To accesses the awareness of diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients attending various teaching hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.
Methodology: A questionnaire based descriptive study conducted from 1st June to 31st August 2016 on 150 patients using convenient sampling.
Results: The following Yes answers percentage were documented from respondents of the study: Any types of DM 38.8, increase in blood sugar 68.6, increase in urine sugar 61.1, healthy individual can have DM 73.6, can a newborn has DM 52.8, is DM treatable 85.7, Is DM curable 42.8, obesity leads to DM 88.8, excessive sugar intake leads to DM 83.6, stress leads to DM 68.8, excessive fats intake leads to DM 58.7, +ve family history & developing DM 88, smoking leads to DM 39.2, DM causes heart attack 76.8, DM causes defects in vision 77.6, DM causes numbness 72.8, DM causes kidney diseases 72.8 and DM causes liver diseases 50.
Conclusions: Poor awareness about DM was noted among the respondents of the study. Aggressive awareness campaigns are needed for better adherence to treatment and avoidance of complications.
Key words: Diabetes mellitus, obesity, kidney disease.
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