Long-term diabetes-related severe complications among individuals with T2DM in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To explore the patterns and prevalence of complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Jazan region. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample (n=281) of the Jazan population attending Jazan Diabetes Centre. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and the statistical analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software. Results: The prevalence of one or more complications due to T2DM was 42.7%, which was significantly increased with age, BMI and T2DM duration. The prevalence also differed significantly according to gender and participation in exercise (P<0.05 for all factors). The prevalence of cardiovascular complications was found to be 7.1%, higher among males (9.4%) than females (4.1%), although the difference was not significant (P>0.05). The prevalence of retinopathy was estimated as 32.4% and significantly differed according to gender, age groups, participation in exercise and BMI categories (P value < 0.05 for all). The multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that the most important independent predictors of T2DM complications were T2DM duration (11-15 years) (P=0.028, OR=3.54) and having T2DM for more than 15 years (P=0.013, OR=5.38). Conclusions: This study reveals a high prevalence of long-term complications among T2DM patients attending Jazan Diabetes center. T2DM prevention and proper T2DM management strategies are strongly needed to minimize the burden of the disease due to T2DM complications.