Objective: Chronic urticaria (CU) is a long-standing inflammatory dermatosis that necessitates ongoing clinical follow-up, identification of precipitating factors, and active patient participation to achieve optimal disease control. Although health literacy is recognized as an important component of self-management in chronic conditions, data examining its level and its association with disease activity in CU are scarce. Therefore, the present study sought to evaluate health literacy among patients with CU and to explore its relationship with disease activity as measured by the Urticaria Activity Score-7 (UAS-7).
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional investigation, adult individuals diagnosed with CU were assessed using the Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS-32), a validated instrument that evaluates health literacy within two core domains as treatment and health services and disease prevention/health promotion across four information-processing dimensions: access, comprehension, appraisal, and application of health-related information. Health literacy scores were standardized to a 0–50 index and categorized as inadequate, problematic/limited, adequate, or excellent. Disease activity was assessed using UAS-7.
Results: More than half of the participants (57.4%) demonstrated inadequate or problematic/limited HL. No significant association was observed between total THLS-32 scores and UAS-7 (p=0.118). However, a significant relationship was identified between disease activity and the evaluating information subdimension within the disease prevention and health promotion domain (p=0.037). Other health literacy domains and subdimensions showed no significant association with UAS-7.
Conclusion: Limited health literacy is common among individuals with CU. Although global health literacy scores were not independently linked to disease activity, competencies related to the critical appraisal of health information seem to be particularly relevant for symptom control. These results underscore the role of advanced health literacy skills in the management of CU and indicate that patient-centered educational strategies aimed at strengthening information evaluation abilities may serve as a valuable adjunct to guideline-based therapy.