A new research from the International Diabetes Federation has revealed that 80% of people living with diabetes in Nigeria only received their diagnosis because they had at least one of the related complications – such as loss of vision, nerve damage or heart disease.

Eight in ten people living with diabetes (80%) in Nigeria only found out they had diabetes after developing complications associated with the condition.

Additionally, almost all (94%) of those surveyed in the country had experienced one or more diabetes complications during the course of their life with diabetes.

The findings come from global research recently carried out by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in commemoration of the World Diabetes Day recently.

The survey was conducted among people living with diabetes across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America to understand the level of awareness and impact of diabetes-related complications.

Diabetes-related complications can be serious and, in some cases, life-threatening. They include damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys and feet.

The risk of complications places significant stress on people living with diabetes.

More than half (55%) of respondents in Nigeria say they worry most days about developing diabetes-related complications. The risk of complications can be significantly reduced through early detection, timely treatment and informed self-care.