Study design: Case-control study. Objectives: (i) To describe the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients, (ii) to compare the range of sexual function outcomes between patients with CLBP and healthy controls and (iii) to investigate which factors are associated with sexual function within the cohort of individuals with CLBP. Setting: Low back pain (LBP) clinic of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran. Methods: A total of 702 patients with CLBP and 888 healthy controls participated in the study. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) were used to evaluate sexual function. In addition, quality of life, anxiety, functional status and pain intensity were assessed in patients. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were performed for the identification of factors associated with sexual function. Results: The prevalence of sexual problems in female patients with CLBP was 71.1% (n ¼ 177) while the corresponding figure for healthy women was 36.8% (n ¼ 161). Erectile dysfunction was present in 59.5% of male patients and in 24.5% of healthy males. Higher sexual function in both male and female patients with CLBP were being younger, lower duration of back pain, lower BMI, higher education level, being unemployed, physically active shorter sick leave, lower level of pain intensity, lower disability, higher family income, lower levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms, and higher psychical functioning and mental functioning. Conclusions: CLBP patients report considerably higher prevalences of sexual problems compared with healthy controls. Sex therapy and sexual management should be added to routine care and treatment of patients with CLBP.

Background: There is a lack of feasible and validated measures to self-assess medication adherence for older patients with stroke. In addition, the potential determinants of medication adherence for older patients with stroke remain unclear. Objectives: The aims of this study were to (1) examine the psychometric properties of a 5-item questionnaire on medication adherence, specifically the 5-item Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5), and (2) explore the determinants of medication adherence. Methods: Stroke patients older than 65 years (N = 523) filled out the MARS-5 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The medication possession rate (MPR) was calculated to measure the objective medication adherence. Several clinical characteristics (stroke types, blood pressure, comorbidity, HbA1c, quantity of prescribed drugs, fasting blood glucose, and total cholesterol) and background information were collected. We used Rasch analysis with a differential item functioning test to examine psychometric properties. Results: All 5 items in the MARS-5 fit in the same construct (ie, medication adherence), no differential item functioning items were displayed in the MARS-5 across gender, and the MARS-5 total score was strongly correlated with the MPR (r = 0.7). Multiple regression models showed that the MARS-5 and the MPR shared several similar determinants. In addition, the variance of the MARS-5 (R 2 = 0.567) was more than that of the MPR (R 2 = 0.300). Conclusions: The MARS-5 is a feasible and

Patient selection for PDD over physiotherapy favored younger patients who presented with a shorter period of pain symptoms and who had a more favorable body habitus.

Objective. Considering the high prevalence of epilepsy in the elderly and the importance of maximising their quality of life (QoL), this study aimed to investigate the relationship between medication adherence and QoL, and the mediating effects of medication adherence on the association between serum antiepileptic drug (AED) level and seizure severity with QoL in elderly epileptics. Methods. In a longitudinal study, 766 elderly patients with epilepsy who were prescribed a minimum of one antiepileptic drug were selected by convenience sampling method. A Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) questionnaire was completed at the baseline. Seizure severity and QoL were assessed after six months using the Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (LSSS) and the QoL in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31) questionnaires respectively. Serum level of AED was also measured at six-month follow-up. Results. Medication adherence was significantly correlated with both seizure severity (β =-0.33, p < 0.0001) and serum AED level (β = 0.29, p < 0.0001) after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. Neither QoL nor its sub-classes were correlated with seizure severity. In addition, a significant correlation was not observed between serum AED level and QoL. However, medication adherence was significantly correlated with QoL (β = 0.30, p < 0.0001). The mediating effects of medication adherence on the association between serum AED level (Z = 3.39, p < 0.001) and seizure severity (Z =-3.47, p < 0.001) with QoL were supported by the Sobel test. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that medication adherence has a beneficial impact on QoL in elderly epileptics. Therefore, adherence to treatment should be monitored to improve their QoL.

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