Population-level interest in anti-rheumatic drugs in the COVID-19 era: insights from Google Trends.
Clin Rheumatol
; 40(5): 2047-2055, 2021 May.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-898035
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 â¢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. â¢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. â¢Rheumatologists should address this increase in informational demand for colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, and anakinra.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Antirheumatic Agents
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Clin Rheumatol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S10067-020-05490-w
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