JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Psoriasis causes considerable physical and psychosocial burden. Despite the availability of effective topical and systemic treatments, real-world care appears to be characterized by undertreatment, and many patients have limited knowledge of evidence-based systemic therapeutic options. Online search behavior can provide valuable insights into unmet informational needs, concerns, and treatment interests at the population level.

Objective:

This study aims to analyze psoriasis-related online search behavior in Germany to identify knowledge gaps and assess whether commonly searched topics reflect guideline-recommended care.

Methods:

Google Ads data for psoriasis-related search terms in Germany from May 2022 to April 2024 were systematically evaluated by topic and search volume. In addition, Google Trends data from 2014 to 2024 were analyzed to assess long-term trends.

Results:

The lay term “Schuppenflechte” was searched far more frequently than “psoriasis.” In total, 1,775 search terms were identified, corresponding to an estimated cumulative search volume ranging from 6.8 to 70.2 million searches over the two-year study period. Almost half of all location-specific queries referred to the head region, consistent with guideline criteria for systemic therapy. In contrast, interest in evidence-based treatments was low. Searches focused mainly on home remedies (44.5%), while biologics accounted for only 0.4%. No search activity was identified for smoking-related terms.

Conclusions:

Future information campaigns and educational materials should use the lay term “Schuppenflechte”. Online search behavior revealed marked differences in interest across psoriasis-related topics, including substantially higher search activity for home remedies than for guideline-recommended therapies. These findings may help inform patient-oriented, evidence-based digital education strategies but should be interpreted within the limitations of search engine–based data.