Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Moroccan version of the incontinence quality of life questionnaire (I-QoL) in urinary incontinence patients.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the importance and prevalence of incontinence in women, there is growing interest in the development and use of well-designed quality of life questionnaires. The objective of this study is to adapt and validate, the I-QoL, a quality of life questionnaire, in Moroccan dialect, and to assess its psychometric properties in people suffering from urinary incontinence STUDY DESIGN: One hundred patients (77 % female) with a symptom of urinary incontinence participated in the study and filled out the Moroccan version of the questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α), the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the Moroccan version of the I-QOL has very good psychometric properties. The overall I-QoL summary score and subscales showed high internal consistency (alpha ranging from 0.94 to 0.99). Inter-rater reliability was substantial for the three subscales and the total score. The ICC, assessing reproducibility at two weeks, ranged from 0.89 to 0.99, demonstrating the stability of the scores. The I-QOL was able to discriminate between different levels of self- perceived severity. Significant differences in I-QOL scores (p<0.001) were observed when comparing I-QOL scores by the number of incontinence-related medical visits made by patients during the past year. CONCLUSION: The Moroccan version of the I-QOL is a valid and reliable tool to determine the influence of urinary incontinence on health-related quality of life in Moroccan persons.

Efficacy of Argane Oil on Metabolic Syndrome in a Moroccan Knee Osteoarthritis Population.

Five medical conditions which characterize metabolic syndrome are abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting plasma glucose, high serum triglycerides, and low highdensity lipoproteins cholesterol. When a patient has any three of the five above conditions, he is known to have metabolic syndrome, and these conditions represent a key element in cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease which was shown to be affected by some of the parameters of metabolic syndrome. Edible Argane oil is used in Moroccan folk medicine against several health conditions, such as knee osteoarthritis, though, evidence-based medical data about the above health benefit from Argane oil treatment are lacking. In the present clinical controlled study, we have found that consumption of Argane oil by 38 patients who have knee osteoarthritis and metabolic syndrome can improve several of their metabolic syndrome parameters and decrease their blood lipid atherogenic ratios. The present clinical study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first one to show that Argane oil consumption could be a therapeutic preventive tool against key cardiovascular risk factors of metabolic syndrome in knee osteoarthritis patients.

Effectiveness of Argan Oil Consumption on Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common chronic degenerative disorder. It causes joint pain, walking difficulties and a decline in general physical function. Many pain drugs and treatment modalities can be prescribed for KOA. Among traditional medicines in Morocco, Argan oil has been used in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis to reduce pain and improve physical activity, though there have been no medical-based evidence for such treatment. Argan oil is known to have anti-oxidant and lipid modulatory properties due to its content of many substances, such as tocopherols, phytosterols, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken in order to investigate the effect of daily consumption of culinary argan oil on KOA symptoms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled clinical trial on patients with KOA according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Patients were divided into 2 groups: argan oil group who received argan oil to be consumed every morning (30 ml per day) for 8 weeks and control group with no treatment. Clinical assessment before and after 8 weeks study was performed by several tests such as the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, walking perimeter, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC), and the Lequesne index. RESULTS: The study included 100 patients. 51 patients were randomly assigned to argan oilgroup while 49 patients were randomly assigned to control group with no treatment. Mean age of our patients was 58.24 ± 7.2 years, with a majority of women (93%). Following 8 weeks of argan oil consumption, argan oil group had a very significant decrease of VAS for pain (p< 0.0001), with a significant decrease in WOMAC pain index (p < 0.0001), and improvement of WOMAC function index (p < 0.0001). Lequesne index (p < 0.0001) as well as walking distance (p =0,002) significantly improved. When data of argan oil group were compared to those of control group, we found statistically significant differences in all the above measured parameters: VAS of pain (P=0,02), WOMAC pain (p<0,0001), WOMAC function (p<0,0001), walking distance (p=0,001) and lequesne index (p<0,0001). CONCLUSION: Patient's consumption of argan oil seems to be safe and efficacious in improving clinical symptoms of KOA.