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Atopic dermatitis (AD) or atopic eczema (AE) is a complex chronic inflammatory skin disease with a high prevalence and disease burden.1 The nomenclature for this condition has long been the subject of controversial debate within the medical community and even among global experts.2, 3 However, the terminology used not only affects experts, daily clinical practice, and research but especially patients and the general public in terms of their understanding and access to disease-related information.2-5 Given the potential of crowdsourced internet data,6 this study aimed to investigate the use of ‘atopic dermatitis’, ‘atopic eczema’, and their lay terms in internet searches and the content of these searches across 21 European countries in their respective main language.

Ziel dieser Arbeit war es im Bereich der Diagnostik von Psoriasis und Atopisches Ekzem Microbiopsien (1mm Durchmesser) mit Macrobiopsien (4-6mm Durchmesser) unter verschiedenen Blickpunkten zu vergleichen. Microbiopsien zeigten sich als vielversprechendes Toll: histologisch wurden pathognomonische Merkmale erkannt. In den Sequenzierungsdaten konnte kein signifikanter Unterschied gezeigt werden und durch den Molecular Classifier wurden die Proben mehrheitlich richtig diagnostiziert. Auch Patienten bevorzugten die Microbiopsie Entnahme., The aim of the study was to compare microbiopsies (1mm diameter) with macrobiopsies (4-6mm diameter) from different points of view in the field of psoriasis and atopic eczema diagnotic. Microbiopsies turned out as a promising tool: pathognomonic features were detected histologically. No significant difference could be shown in the sequencing data and the Molecular Classifier diagnosed the majority of samples correctly. Patients also preferred microbiopsy sampling.

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways and one of the most important non-communicable diseases worldwide. Analyzing crowdsourced data can help understand public interest and unmet needs as well as potential factors influencing search behavior. Objective: The study aimed to investigate asthma-related web search data in Europe to identify possible regional and seasonal variations and to assess public interest. Methods: Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to measure search volume for search terms related to asthma, allergic asthma, and bronchial asthma in 21 European countries between January 2018 and December 2021. The top 10 keywords of each country were categorized qualitatively. Search volume per 100 000 inhabitants was descriptively assessed in terms of regional and seasonal trends. Spearman correlations between search volume and pollen concentration as well as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were investigated. Results: The median search volume per 100 000 inhabitants for asthma and allergic asthma was highest in Northern and Western Europe, while the highest search volume for bronchial asthma was observed in Western and Eastern regions. A seasonal trend was identified for all search terms and in all regions. Correlations were found between search frequency and pollen load and search behavior and COVID-19 cases. Overall, Europeans were most interested in the diseases in general, their treatment options, and symptoms. Conclusion: These results highlighted the need for reliable and region-specific information about the disease and for public campaigns to improve asthma control. The study also emphasizes the importance of using crowdsourced data for a more encompassing overview beyond conventional healthcare data.