Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson has revealed that he has been suffering with a form of diabetes.

The 24-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL, but struggled at times during the 2014 season, which Peterson feels was due to his illness.

"I am a diabetic," he told The Arizona Republic. "Let's just keep it that way."

When asked if the problem affected his form last season, he added: "Yeah, it did. I'd rather not go into deep detail about that. It was a situation that it occurred during the season. The team docs found it and got it all under wraps."

Peterson recorded 50 tackles, one sack and three interceptions in the 2014 season.