Population-level interest in anti-rheumatic drugs in the COVID-19 era: insights from Google Trends

Abstract

Introduction/objective The general public may utilize online information through search engines for implications and risks of some anti-rheumatic drugs. These drugs have been used in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and associated inflammatory sequelae or cytokine storm of infection. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the population-level interest in anti-rheumatic drugs during the COVID-19 era, by analyzing changes in Google search frequency data. Method To obtain the relative search volume (RSV) of anti-rheumatic drugs, we queried Google Trends for 78 search terms representing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, antigout agents, conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), immunosuppressants, biologics, and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors within the USA. Three 8-week periods in 2020 (March 15–May 9), (May 10–July 4), and (July 5–August 29) representing the initial- and short-term periods were compared to overlapping periods of the preceding 3 years (2017–2019). Results We found statistically significant increases in RSV for colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab (and its brand name-Actemra), and anakinra, and statistically significant decreases among brand names of immunosuppressive agents (i.e., mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, cyclosporine) during both the initial- and short-term COVID-19 periods as compared to overlapping periods of the preceding 3 years. Conclusion There were significant increases in RSV of colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, and anakinra during both initial- and short-term COVID-19 periods when compared to overlapping periods of the preceding 3 years reflecting a heightened level of information-seeking on these drugs during the pandemic. Rheumatologists should address this increase in informational demand. Further research assessing medium- and long-term interest in anti-rheumatic drugs is required to increase our knowledge on this new pandemic. Key Points •This study was aimed to investigate the population-level interest in anti-rheumatic drugs in the COVID-19 era, by analyzing changes in Google search frequency data. •Significant increases were seen in relative searches for colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, and anakinra during both initial and short-term COVID-19 periods when compared to similar periods of 2017–2019 reflecting a heightened level of information-seeking on these drugs during the pandemic. •Rheumatologists should address this increase in informational demand for colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, and anakinra.

Public interest in dermatologic symptoms, conditions, treatments, and procedures during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Insights from Google Trends

“…During recent years, internet data have been increasingly used to analyze the public behavior and interest in various medical conditions 3‐8 . Google Trends is the most popular tool and has been used to explore the interest in dermatologic conditions before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic 8‐15 .…”

Psychosocial and clinical effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with childhood rheumatic diseases and their parents

“…Additionally, as we have established that COVID-19 symptoms can mimic rheumatic diseases, it is noteworthy that in the treatment of COVID-19 drugs such as steroids, hydroxychloroquine and other such biological agents, which are used in patients with rheumatic disease, are used as well. Thus, there may be an uncertain and complex relationship between rheumatic diseases and COVID-19 [17][18][19]. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the psychological symptoms of children and adolescents with rheumatological diseases and their parents during the outbreak.…”

Public interest in musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the past few years, it was used to assess trends in several rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis [ 10 ], fibromyalgia [ 11 ], gout [ 12 ], ankylosing spondylitis [ 13 ], and rheumatoid arthritis [ 14 ]. In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in two intriguing studies we evaluated the public interest in anti-rheumatic drugs [ 15 ] and rheumatic diseases [ 16 ]. In the previous study, we mainly focused on inflammatory, autoimmune, connective tissue/vasculitis diseases because patients with this group of rheumatic diseases may be at a higher risk of acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [ 16 ].…”