title: Factors influencing quality of life in Moroccan postmenopausal women with osteoporotic vertebral fracture assessed by ECOS 16 questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to evaluate factors influencing quality of life (QOL) in Moroccan postmenopausal women with osteoporotic vertebral fracture assessed by the Arabic version of ECOS 16 questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  357 postmenopausal women were included in this study. The participants underwent bone mineral density (BMD) measurements by DXA of the lumbar spine and the total hip as well as X-ray examination of the thoraco-lumbar spine to identify subclinical vertebral fractures. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire on clinical and sociodemographic parameters, and osteoporosis risk factors. The Arabic version of the ECOS16 (Assessment of health related quality of life in osteoporosis questionnaire) was used to assess quality of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 58 +/- 7.8 years, and the mean BMI was 28.3 +/- 4.8 kg/m2. One hundred and eight women (30.1%) were osteoporotic and 46.7% had vertebral fractures. Most were categorized as Grade1 (75%). Three independent factors were associated with a poor quality of life: low educational level (p = 0,01), vertebral fracture (p = 0,03), and history of peripheral fracture (p = 0,006). Worse QOL was observed in the group with vertebral fracture in all domains except "pain": Physical functioning (p = 0,002); Fear of illness (p = 0,001); and Psychosocial functioning (p = 0,007). The number of fractures was a determinant of a low QOL, as indicated by an increased score in physical functioning (p = 0,01), fear of illness (p = 0,007), and total score (p = 0,01) after adjusting on age and educational level. Patients with higher Genant score had low QOL in these two domains too (p = 0,002; p = 0,001 respectively), and in the total score (p = 0,01) after adjusting on age and educational level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our current data showed that the quality of life assessed by the Arabic version of the ECOS 16 questionnaire is decreased in post menopausal women with prevalent vertebral fractures, with the increasing number and the severity of vertebral fractures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, El Ayachi hospital, University Hospital of Rabat-Sale, Rabat, Morocco. fadouaallali@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Fatima E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Abourazzak
authors.forename: Fadoua
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allali
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rostom
authors.forename: Ihsane
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hmamouchi
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ichchou
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: El Mansouri
authors.forename: Loubna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bennani
authors.forename: Hamza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Khazzani
authors.forename: Redouane
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abouqal
authors.forename: Najia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hajjaj-Hassouni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D017698:Postmenopause; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires