Diabetes is a global burden with increased morbidity and mortality besides increased healthcare costs. The level of knowledge and awareness of diabetes and its complications correlate with the incidence of diabetes complications. It can also help in designing national preventive programs to decrease the burden of these complications. This study aims at examining the literature to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitude toward the complications of diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia. In this study, the literature was reviewed through the PubMed database in the duration between 2009 and 2019. The search included terms, such as knowledge, diabetes, and Saudi Arabia. The results were then revised to select original study articles investigating the level of knowledge of the public, including healthcare professionals, on diabetes and its complications. Selected trials mentioned the target population and the type of complications. A total of eight articles were considered as eligible, published between 2009 and 2019, covering a whole of 3,927 responses from the Saudi community about the complications of diabetes. All the studies were qualitative with a cross-sectional design. The study concludes that data on the level of knowledge toward diabetes complications is conflicting. Further large,
multicenter studies should be considered to get an accurate estimation of knowledge and practices toward diabetes complications.
Key words: Knowledge, attitude, diabetes mellitus, complications, Saudi Arabia
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