Knowledge of diabetes mellitus in tuberculosis amongst healthcare workers in Nigeria

BACKGROUND: There is a World Diabetes Foundation funded research on detection of diabetes mellitus (DM) in tuberculosis (TB) which is currently being carried out in 56 TB centers in Lagos State Nigeria and against this background, we decided to evaluate the knowledge of DM and (TB) amongst the health workers from these facilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We employed the use of self-administered questionnaires comprising questions to determine participant's knowledge on risk factors, clinical presentation and complications of DM, diagnosis, management of DM, and presentation and management of TB. We documented and also compared responses that differed in a statistically significant manner amongst the various cadres of health worker and the three tiers of healthcare facilities. RESULTS: A total of 263 health care workers responded, out of which medical doctors constituted 72 (27.4%) while nurses and other categories of health care workers constituted 191 (72.6%). All the respondents knew that TB is a communicable disease and a large majority– 86% knew that DM is a chronic disorder that as of now has no cure. One hundred and eighty one (71%) respondents gave a correct response of a fasting plasma glucose level of 9mmol/L, which is in the range for diagnosis of DM. About a third-90-of the health workers, however, stated that DM may be diagnosed solely on clinical symptoms of DM. However, 104 (46%) of the Study participants stated that urine may be employed for objectively diagnosing DM. All respondents had hitherto not had patients with TB who had been routinely screened for DM. There was insufficient knowledge on the non-pharmacological management with over half of the respondents, irrespective ofstatus, maintained that all persons diagnosed with DM should be made to lose weight and carbohydrate should make up less than 30% of the component of their meals. CONCLUSION: There remains largely inadequate knowledge on diagnosing and non-pharmacological management of DM among the health workers in our TB facilities.