The Relationship Between Health Literacy and Illness Self-Care Management in Turkish Patients With Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between health literacy and illness self-care management in individuals with cancer. SAMPLE & SETTING: 207 individuals with cancer undergoing treatment in the chemotherapy unit of a university hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. METHODS & VARIABLES: Data were collected using a sociodemographic and illness characteristics questionnaire, the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire-Turkish Version (HLS-EU-Q-TR), and the Self-Care Management Process in Chronic Illness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, student t test, Pearson correlation test, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: 86% of individuals displayed an inadequate or problematic to limited level of health literacy. Extended family status and HLS-EU-Q-TR score were significant predictors of self-care management. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses can organize health programs designed to improve the level of health literacy in the population, but they should take into consideration the health literacy levels of their patients.

Comparison of serum levels of inflammatory markers and allelic variant of interleukin-6 in patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris.

OBJECTIVES: Although the relationship between atherosclerosis and inflammatory cells has been recognized in recent years, the effect of interleukin-6 (IL-6) genetic variants associated with atherosclerosis is still controversial. Therefore, we investigated the association between IL-6 polymorphism and levels of IL-6 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We conducted a case-control study on 294 unrelated participants who were referred to the cardiology department of the university hospital for coronary angiography because of suspected ischemic heart disease. Group I comprised patients with clinically acute coronary syndrome, and group II comprised patients (individuals matched for age and sex) with clinically stable angina pectoris; both groups were categorized, based on their angiographic findings, as either having angiographically documented less extensive CAD (1 vessel narrowed) or extensive CAD (> or =2 vessels narrowed). They were studied to examine effect of the IL-6 gene variants in CAD. Genotyping was determined by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The IL-6 G/C-174 polymorphism was found in 19 of 106 (18%) in group I and in four of 188 (2%) in group II (P<0.001). Median IL-6 levels were significantly higher in group I (6.7+/-13.6 pg/ml) than in group II (4.1+/-3.8 pg/ml) (P<0.05). In addition, high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in group I (8.2+/-6.2 mg/dl) than in group II (4.6+/-3.4 mg/dl) (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that the presence of the IL-6 G/C-174 polymorphism and increased IL-6 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels are strongly associated with the inflammatory system and the course of clinical and hemodynamically significant CAD.