ABSTRACT
Background: Limited attention is devoted to the improvement of the quality of life of patients suffering from the negative consequences of Sickle cell disease (SCD). Our study focuses on the evaluation of the performance of the WHOQOL-BREF as a tool to measure the quality of life of SCD Patients in Bahrain. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that enrolled 273 SCD patients selected using a simple random sampling technique from primary health-care centers in Bahrain in 2019. A designed questionnaire including the WHOQOL-BREF was filled by the patients in the health centers. The reliability of the WHOQOL-BREF was assessed by standardized Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the validity was measured by convergent validity, principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The WHOQOL-BREF had good internal consistency as Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the overall scale was 0.91. The convergent validity results indicated that the correlation coefficients values for all scale domains are significantly correlated at α < 0.01. Confirmatory factor analysis found that the four-domain structure produced a robust fit to the data. Conclusion: The WHOQOL-BREF tool has high internal consistency and validity in assessing the quality of life of Sickle Disease patients in Bahrain.
ABSTRACT
Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the nervous system that causes chronic demyelination over time and may lead to physical disability. MS-related pain may be musculoskeletal, paroxysmal, or persistently neurogenic in nature. The most common type of pain is musculoskeletal discomfort, which is typically brought on by muscle weakening, stiffness, and generalized imbalance as the condition progresses. Pain often manifests after prolonged immobilization of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Aim We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) among MS patients in Saudi Arabia. Methodology A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients with confirmed MS in Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in the study during the duration from April 2022 to May 2022. Data were collected using an electronic collection tool. The study tool was checked to ensure the content validity and clarity of the Arabic and English versions. Results A total of 360 MS patients were included. Patients' ages ranged from 18 to 65 years with a mean age of 34.9±13.2 years old. Exactly 229 (63.6%) patients were females. A total of 104 (28.9%) patients complained of relapsing-remitting MS, 34 (9.4%) complained of primary progressive MS, and 16 (4.4%) complained of secondary progressive MS. A total of 138 (38.3%) patients had the disease for less than five years, and 14 (3.9%) had the disease for more than 21 years. Exactly 124 (34.4%) MS patients complained of high disability due to MSP, while 236 (65.6%) had low disability. Conclusions This study demonstrates that one out of each three patients with MS complained of pain with high disability associated with pain. Old age, comorbidities, long disease duration, and a family history of MS were significant determinants of associated disability severity.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Obesity and its related metabolic disturbances represent a huge health burden on society. Many different weight loss interventions have been trialled with mixed efficacy, as demonstrated by the large number of individuals who regain weight upon completion of such interventions. There is evidence that the provision of genetic information may enhance long-term weight loss, either by increasing dietary adherence or through underlying biological mechanisms. METHODS: The investigators followed 114 overweight and obese subjects from a weight loss clinic in a 2-stage process. 1) A 24-week dietary intervention. The subjects self-selected whether to follow a standardized ketogenic diet (n = 53), or a personalised low-glycemic index (GI) nutrigenetic diet utilising information from 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (n = 61). 2) After the 24-week diet period, the subjects were monitored for an additional 18 months using standard guidelines for the Keto group vs standard guidelines modified by nutrigenetic advice for the low-Glycaemic Index nutrigenetic diet (lowGI/NG) group. RESULTS: After 24 weeks, the keto group lost more weight: - 26.2 ± 3.1 kg vs - 23.5 ± 6.4 kg (p = 0.0061). However, at 18-month follow up, the subjects in the low-GI nutrigenetic diet had lost significantly more weight (- 27.5 ± 8.9 kg) than those in the ketogenic diet who had regained some weight (- 19.4 ± 5.0 kg) (p < 0.0001). Additionally, after the 24-week diet and 18-month follow up the low-GI nutrigenetic diet group had significantly greater (p < 0.0001) improvements in total cholesterol (ketogenic - 35.4 ± 32.2 mg/dl; low-GI nutrigenetic - 52.5 ± 24.3 mg/dl), HDL cholesterol (ketogenic + 4.7 ± 4.5 mg/dl; low-GI nutrigenetic + 11.9 ± 4.1 mg/dl), and fasting glucose (ketogenic - 13.7 ± 8.4 mg/dl; low-GI nutrigenetic - 24.7 ± 7.4 mg/dl). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that the ketogenic group experienced enhanced weight loss during the 24-week dietary intervention. However, at 18-month follow up, the personalised nutrition group (lowGI/NG) lost significantly more weight and experienced significantly greater improvements in measures of cholesterol and blood glucose. This suggests that personalising nutrition has the potential to enhance long-term weight loss and changes in cardiometabolic parameters. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04330209, Registered 01/04/2020, retrospectively registered.
