Quality of Life of Adult Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Kuwait

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) on Kuwaiti adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), aged ≥ 45 years of both genders, who attended primary healthcare centers and to identify factors associated with QoL. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on a random sample stratified by gender, consisting of 604 Kuwaiti adult patients with T2DM, aged ≥ 45 years, diagnosed by physicians as diabetics for ≥ 6 months. A validated demographic and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires were used to assess the QoL. Results: The sample consisted of both genders with equal proportions, the age of 46% of patients was within 56-65 years’ class. Only 24% of the participants had secondary school, while 57% were retired, and the income of 54% exceeds 1000 KD/month. The majority of patients (76%) were married, and 99% were living with their families. Obesity was reported in 54% of patients, and 16% were smokers. Only oral antidiabetic drugs were used by 50% of patients, and 24% of the sample had complications, 11% of them developed retinopathy. A family history of diabetes was reported in 74% of patients, and 45% of them have a duration of diabetes >10 years. Regarding the QoL, the median score was 71, around 77% of the sample has a good QoL. Conclusion: There is more need for public health action to control the disease, thus improving their QoL; this can be achieved by improving the patients’ health status and maintaining their abilities.