KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS LEVEL AMONG DIABETIC PATIENTS IN SA REGARDING EARLY SCREENING OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Abstract

Background: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a silent culprit that progresses over time and may not show symptoms until it has further developed to an advanced stage and is the leading cause of visual blindness amongst diabetics. Diabetes mellitus has been increasing in prevalence as it already affects millions of patients across the globe. Age, and sex are not considered risk factors when it comes to development of DR rather it is affected by the duration of diabetes, glycemic control, blood pressure, and the lipid profiling. DR, which is accounts for 2.6 million cases in which it hinders their vision or causes total blindness in 2.6% of the cases (0.84 million of 32.4 million people). Objective: The purpose of this study, to evaluate the degree of knowledge and awareness among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia on the significance of early screening to delay retinopathy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via a self-administered questionnaire among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia, from August 2023 to May 2024. A total sample size of 361 participants was involved of diabetic patients. The questionnaire contained questions to determine awareness level of importance of early screening among diabetic patients. Data anlysis was performed using SPSS program version 20.0. Results: The total sample size were 361 participants. Regarding knowledge and awareness score about early screening of DR among diabetic patients, there were 50.1% exhibit a low level of understanding in this area. Conversely, only 15.2% of respondents demonstrated a high level of knowledge, while a larger proportion, 34.6%, displayed a moderate level of awareness. As regard the relation between knowledge level towards the importance of early screening for DR and sociodemographic characteristics, there was a statistically significant relation to gender (p value=0.011), age (p value=0.001), cardiovascular disease (p value=0.011), and retinopathy (p value=0.043). It also showed a statistically insignificant relation to region of residence, type of diabetes and family history of diabetes. Conclusion: The study found that a significant portion of diabetic patients exhibited a low level of understanding in this area, indicating a need for improved education and awareness campaigns. Factors such as gender, age, cardiovascular disease, and retinopathy status were found to be significantly associated with the knowledge level regarding early screening for DR. This underscores the importance of targeted interventions to enhance awareness and promote early detection and treatment to prevent visual loss among diabetic individuals in Saudi Arabia.