Evaluating Sentiment, Engagement, and Perception of Biologics Among Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis on Reddit

March 2023 | Volume 22 | Issue 3 | 306 | Copyright © March 2023


Published online February 23, 2023

Nicole Maynard BSa, Danielle Yee MDa, Camila Carranza BSa, Manan Mehta BSa, Rasika Reddy BAb, Caterina Zagona-Prizio BSc, Sabrina Khan BSa, Samiya Khan BSd, April W. Armstrong MD MPHa

aUniversity of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
bUniversity of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine, Dallas, TX
cUniversity of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
dLong School of Medicine, San Antonio, TX

Abstract
Background: Limited analyses of social media content among psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients exist. These patients may turn to social media to gain insight into treatments such as biologics.
Objectives: This study aims to analyze the content, sentiment, and engagement of social media posts regarding biologics for PsO and PsA.
Methods: Posts and comments discussing biologics were extracted from publicly accessible PsO and PsA Reddit groups. Posts were assigned higher (HOT) and lower order (LOT) themes, sentiments, and engagement scores.
Results: Of 1141 posts extracted, 705 posts were classified under the HOT general/efficacy. Twelve lower order themes (LOTs) were identified: general advice/experience (10.2%), symptoms improved (36.6%), switching biologics (10.5%), and time to results (13.4%). 61.3% of content was of positive sentiment, 24.0% was neutral, and 14.7% was of negative sentiment. The mean sentiment score, defined as the average of all posts' sentiment scores (where negative=-1, neutral=0, and positive=1), was overall positive at 0.47, 95% CI [.41-.52]. Mean sentiment scores between LOTs were significantly different (P<0.001). Information regarding biologics on Reddit is mostly positive; however, there remains a significant number of users expressing dissatisfaction with their efficacy or with biologics in general. Many users sought anecdotal advice.
Conclusion: These findings can help guide educational efforts to anticipate concerns and appease hesitancy regarding biologics and their efficacy.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(3):306-309. doi:10.36849/JDD.7124

Citation: Maynard N, Yee D, Carranza C, et al. Evaluating sentiment, engagement, and perception of biologics among patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis on Reddit. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(3):306-309. doi:10.36849/JDD.7124

INTRODUCTION

Social media is becoming increasingly popular as a means for dermatology patients to access health information. In one Swiss study, researchers found that 82.4% of dermatology patients had used the internet or social media to access medical information.1 The social media platform Reddit is one of the fastest growing social media communities, with 366 million posts in 2021 (an increase of 19% from 2020).2 Reddit is a unique platform that focuses on community discussion rather than educational content. Unlike other common platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, Reddit allows users to operate under the guise of a username without being attached to a real name or profile image. Therefore, users may feel more comfortable sharing experiences with more personal matters. The Subreddit feature allows for discussions and questions among individual communities, such as patients with psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease that affects 125 million people globally.3 An estimated 30% of psoriasis patients also suffer from psoriatic arthritis.4 For patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, or those with concomitant psoriatic arthritis, systemic medications are typically required.5 Among these options are biologics, a newer class of drugs that target specific immune-mediated pathways involving cytokines such as TNF alpha, IL-12, IL-23, and IL-17.6 Patients with psoriatic disease may turn to Reddit to seek advice and information regarding this class of medications. However, there is limited information about psoriasis treatment content. It is necessary to characterize this content as it may aid dermatologists in addressing patient concerns when providing clinical guidance. This study sought to analyze the sentiment and content of posts regarding biologics on Reddit within the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis communities.
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