Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40865089›Full record

ArticleJMIR formative research2025

Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Psoriasis: Exploratory Analysis of Crowdsourced Web Search Data in Sweden.

Anna Katharina Schober, Klas Nordlind, Alexander Zink

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR formative research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Anna Katharina SchoberDepartment of Medicine Solna, Division of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-3546-2024
Klas NordlindDepartment of Medicine Solna, Division of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-9971-2080
Alexander ZinkDepartment of Dermatology and Allergy, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9313-6588

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe nature of the relationship between psoriasis and alcohol consumption has been the topic of discussion for many years. Some studies have found that a higher intake of alcohol may be associated with a more severe manifestation of the disease. At the same time, patients with psoriasis often demonstrate elevated levels of alcohol consumption. It has not yet been fully established whether alcohol abuse serves as a trigger for psoriasis or if patients with psoriasis are simultaneously more prone to alcohol abuse.

objectiveThe objective of this study was to employ Google Trends as a tool for crowdsourcing data on a national level to explore the relationship between psoriasis and the consumption of alcohol in Sweden.

methodsThis study examines crowdsourced web search data related to psoriasis and other skin disease-related search terms (such as utslag [rash]) as well as search interest in different types of alcohol. The analysis covers a 5-year period from 2018 to 2023 in Sweden, focusing on search behavior and correlations across this period.

resultsThe search behavior regarding psoriasis and alcohol-related search terms showed seasonal variations throughout the year. The relative search volume for psoriasis peaked in February, while alcohol-related searches, particularly Systembolaget and vodka, peaked in December and June. Our statistical analysis revealed relationships between the search interest regarding psoriasis and terms related to alcohol consumption, with disparities between different types of alcohol. The term "psoriasis" was negatively correlated with "Systembolaget" (r=-0.210), "vitt vin" (r=-0.224), and "vodka" (r=-0.220) (all P<.001), while the term "utslag" showed positive correlations with these same alcohol-related terms (r=0.278-0.347; P<.001).

conclusionsCrowdsourced data can offer valuable insights into population-level behavior. The observed negative correlations between psoriasis and alcohol-related searches suggest complex interactions, possibly reflecting reduced disease awareness or care during periods of higher alcohol consumption. The direction and strength of the correlations with psoriasis were not consistent across the different types of alcohol investigated in this study, which poses the question whether the relationship might be influenced by the type of beverage consumed. Further research is warranted to explore underlying mechanisms and validate these findings in clinical populations.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingCrowdsourcingInternetPsoriasisSearch EngineHumansSwedenaddictionalcoholalcohol abusecrowdsourcingepidemiologyinfodemiologyinternetpsoriasisskin diseaseweb search data

Identifiers

PMID40865089
PMCPMC12423609

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.