Dilemmas of nomenclature:Web search analysis reveals European preferences in atopic skin diseases

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.