Currently submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Apr 29, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 30, 2026 - Jun 25, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The Digital Footprint of Psoriasis: Popularity of Simple Solutions vs. Neglect of Advanced Therapies
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 modern therapeutic options. Online search behavior can provide valuable insights into unmet informatiThis 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.onal 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 colloquial term “Schuppenflechte” was searched far more frequently than “psoriasis.” In total, 1,775 search terms were identified, corresponding to up to 70 million searches over two years. 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%.
Conclusions:
Future information campaigns and educational materials should use the lay term “Schuppenflechte”. Online search behavior reveals potential gaps in awareness of guideline-recommended therapies for psoriasis. These findings highlight the need for better patient-oriented, evidence-based digital education.
Citation
Request queued. Please wait while the file is being generated. It may take some time.
Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.