RESEARCH ROUNDUP

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition that has a huge impact on patients and their quality of life. It is unclear if both patients and clinicians have the same perception and understanding of this burden.

For this study, the authors looked at the overlooked needs of patients and the burden that atopic dermatitis can cause. To evaluate this, the authors compared social media terminology with the terminology used in scientific literature. Social media terminology for atopic dermatology was identified by using the NetBase platform and natural language processing was also carried out.

The authors evaluated words and topics associated with negative responses, both generally and in relation to specific symptoms. They also carried out a systematic review of scientific literature in publications that included atopic dermatitis and quality of life terms. These were taken from PubMed. Term analysis of titles and abstracts was carried out via natural language processing.

The authors found over 3million social media mentions between 2018 and 2020 and 1519 scientific publications between 2000 and 2020. These were assessed and featured in the study. They found that, on social media, there were significantly more negative than positive mentions. Furthermore, flare-ups and pain were two of the most common symptoms that were driving the negative attitude. The face and hands were also key drivers of the negative feelings in relation to atopic dermatitis symptoms on social media.