BACKGROUND Identifying the risk factors for diabetes mellitus related foot ulceration would save more limbs from amputation. This report focuses on the determining the burden of peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy in persons with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS This is a descriptive study carried out in the Diabetic Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in patients with DM who had no past/present history of foot ulceration. Biothesiometry was employed and ankle brachial pressure indices were measured to evaluate for neuropathy and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) respectively. RESULTS A total of 225 persons living with DM who met inclusion criteria were recruited consecutively over a 3 months period. Age range was 28-87 years with the mean [61.4 (10.8)] and median (63) years respectively. Patients symptomatic for neuropathy and PAD were 37 and 40 % respectively of the study population. An older age of >60 years and poor glycaemic control were potential predictors of neuropathy. Neuropathy and PAD occurred commonly in the seventh decade of life. CONCLUSIONS Given the fairly high proportions of neuropathy and PAD in our patients with DM, we recommend that they be routinely examined in persons with DM.