Topical steroid withdrawal through the lens of social media

The term ‘topical steroid withdrawal’ (TSW) describes an adverse effect that generally occurs with inappropriate prolonged use of high‐potency topical corticosteroids (TCS). The presence of user‐generated content relating to TSW on social media (SoMe) has not been well‐defined to date. We aimed to e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and experimental dermatology Vol. 47; no. 8; pp. 1554 - 1557
Main Authors: Bowe, Stephanie, Masterson, Sophie, Murray, Gregg, Haugh, Isabel
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Oxford University Press 01-08-2022
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Summary:The term ‘topical steroid withdrawal’ (TSW) describes an adverse effect that generally occurs with inappropriate prolonged use of high‐potency topical corticosteroids (TCS). The presence of user‐generated content relating to TSW on social media (SoMe) has not been well‐defined to date. We aimed to explore content relating to topical steroid withdrawal on SoMe. Using a data analytics platform, we retrospectively analysed the hashtag #topicalsteroidwithdrawal on SoMe over a 5‐year period from 8 February 2016 until 8 February 2021. We assessed interactions, performance, shares, likes, mentions, language and country of origin using descriptive statistics. Across all SoMe platforms, there was a 274% increase in mentions of the hashtag #topicalsteroidwithdrawal in the year 2020 (n = 7992) compared with the year 2016 (n = 2138). The top associated hashtags included #TSW, #eczema and #topicalsteroidaddiction. On Instagram, we found a 288% increase in number of mentions and a 592% increase in performance of #topicalsteroidwithdrawal in 2020 (n = 618 354) compared with 2016 (n = 89 390). Our results confirm an increase in the presence of user‐generated content relating to TSW on SoMe and also highlight its extent. Large numbers of patients are exposed to this content, which could influence their engagement with TCS. The term ‘topical steroid withdrawal’ (TSW) describes an adverse effect that generally occurs with inappropriate prolonged use of high‐potency topical corticosteroids. Using a data analytics platform, we retrospectively analysed the hashtag #topicalsteroidwithdrawal on social media over a 5‐year period, from 8 February 2016 to 8 February 2021. Our results confirm an increase in the presence of user‐generated content relating to TSW on social media, and also highlight the large numbers of patients exposed to this content.
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ISSN:0307-6938
1365-2230
DOI:10.1111/ced.15194