Hadis Sabour; Zahra Soltani; Sahar Latifi; Abbas Norouzi-Javidan; Farid Arman; Seyed Hassan Emami-Razavi; Seyed Mohammad Ghodsi; Mohammad Reza Hadian
Volume 14, Issue 3 , July 2015, , Pages 136-141
Abstract
Background: Health-related quality-of-life (HR-QOL) may be affected by various factors including injury-related characteristics among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the impact of the influence of these variables has not yet been fully described in Iranian population. Here, we assessed ...
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Background: Health-related quality-of-life (HR-QOL) may be affected by various factors including injury-related characteristics among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the impact of the influence of these variables has not yet been fully described in Iranian population. Here, we assessed the relationships between injury-related characteristics and HR-QOL among Iranian people with SCI.Methods: HR-QOL was assessed using short-form health survey (SF-36). Referred patients to Brain and Spinal Injury Research Center between 2010 and 2012 were invited to participate in this investigation. Injury-related characteristics including injury level and completeness, time since injury, plegia type, and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale were evaluated.Results: Total of 104 patients (85 men and 19 women) entered the study. The majority of patients had a complete injury (77.9%). The most frequent ASIA score was A (75%), and the most common level of injury was at thoracic sections (61.5%). Lower injury levels were associated with higher scores in physical component summary (P = 0.040), mental component summary (P = 0.010) and subsequently total score (P = 0.006). Mean age and time since injury were 52.58 ± 12.69 and 10.88 ± 16.68 years, respectively, and were not related with HR-QOL (P = 0.70 and 0.220, respectively). There was no difference in terms of HR-QOL between patients with complete and incomplete injury. Paraplegic individuals had significantly higher scores in the domain of physical functioning compared to patients with tetraplegia (P = 0.007).Conclusion: lower injury level is a significant predictor of better QOL among individuals with SCI whereas other injury-related characteristics including completeness, time since injury and plegia type may not influence HR-QOL.
Ghazaleh Eskandari; Mahsa Ghajarzadeh; Mir Saeed Yekaninejad; Mohammad Ali Sahraian; Razieh Gorji; Faezeh Rajaei; Abbas Norouzi-Javidan; Alireza Faridar; Amirreza Azimi
Volume 14, Issue 2 , June 2015, , Pages 81-85
Abstract
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, neuro- inflammatory disease of central nervous system affecting physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects of patients. Association of vitamin D deficiency and MS has been shown in previous studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum ...
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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, neuro- inflammatory disease of central nervous system affecting physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects of patients. Association of vitamin D deficiency and MS has been shown in previous studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum vitamin D level in MS cases and their sex-matched healthy siblings (who are genetically near similar) and non-relative sex-matched healthy controls.Methods: A total of 135 subjects enrolled in this case- control study. Group one (n = 45) consisted of patients with established MS. Group two (n = 45) included sex- matched healthy siblings of the group one and group three participants (n = 45) were non-relative sex- matched healthy controls. Demographic data (age, sex), level of education, daily sun exposure duration, and month of birth gathered for all. Serum sample of all participants was collected for 25-hydroxy vitamin D measurement.Results: There was no significant difference between vitamin D level, sun exposure duration, education level, and season of birth in three evaluated groups. Mean vitamin D level was 8.2 ± 10.1 (nmol/l) in women and 13.3 ± 7 (nmol/l) in men (P = 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between daily sun exposure duration and vitamin D level in whole participants (r = 0.28, P < 0.001) as well as in MS patients (r = 0.32, P = 0.030). Mean vitamin D level was significantly lower in participants who have born in spring and summer.Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is high among Iranian population as well as MS patients.
