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

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Public Health
• Digital Epidemiology

Background:

• The relationship between psoriasis and alcohol consumption is debated, with some studies linking higher alcohol intake to increased disease severity.
• Patients with psoriasis may exhibit higher rates of alcohol consumption, but causality remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between psoriasis and alcohol consumption in Sweden using Google Trends data.
• To leverage crowdsourced search data for national-level insights into population behavior.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Google Trends data for psoriasis, rash (utslag), and alcohol-related search terms in Sweden from 2018-2023.
• Examination of seasonal search variations and statistical correlations between search volumes.

Main Results:

• Psoriasis search volume peaked in February; alcohol searches peaked in December and June.
• Psoriasis searches showed negative correlations with "Systembolaget," "vitt vin," and "vodka" (P<.001).
• Rash (utslag) searches positively correlated with alcohol terms (P<.001), indicating differing public search behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Crowdsourced data provides valuable population-level behavioral insights.
• Negative correlations suggest reduced psoriasis awareness or care during high alcohol consumption periods.
• Further research is needed to understand mechanisms and validate findings in clinical settings.