Public interest in dermatologic symptoms, conditions, treatments, and procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from Google Trends

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had substantial effect both on daily life and medical practice. Internet data have been used to analyze the trends in public interest in various medical conditions and treatments. The aim of this study is to analyze the public interest in dermatologic symptoms, conditions, treatments, and procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Google Trends was queried for a total of 120 dermatological search queries. Three periods of 2020 ([March 15-May 9], [May 10-July 4], and [July 5-October 31]) were compared with the previous 4 years (2016-2019). A significantly decreased interest in skin cancers and certain dermatologic conditions (eg, pityriasis rosea and scabies) was observed throughout the study period. Whereas a significant increase of interest in dry skin, hair shedding, oily hair, atopic dermatitis, and hand eczema was detected during the study. An initial decrease in interest was followed by a significant increase for acne, comedones, melasma, rosacea, botox, dermaroller, and peeling. The study demonstrated a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public interest in dermatology. The present results would help to create healthcare policies and information sources, which can meet the public demand. The reasons for the observed trends and their effect on patient outcomes might be of interest for future studies

Concurrence of immune thrombocytopenic purpura and alopecia areata: A rare association

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A 5-year Evaluation of the Publications Made in the Field of Dermatology in Turkey

Objective:Retrospective evaluation of scientific productivity is a guideline for the development of future studies in the planning and quality aspects. There is only one study evaluating the scientific productivity of our country in the field of dermatology. For this reason, in this study, it was aimed to evaluate from the point of quantity and quality of dermatology publications made in our country between 2012-2016 years.Methods:All publications, registered in Index Medicus between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016 were searched using the keywords “dermatology, Turkey” and evaluated accordingly years, topics and publication type. Web of Science database was used to evaluate citation numbers.Results:The total number of publications, research and other publication types made in the field of dermatology in our country increased every year during the dates covered by the study. However, it was observed that the rate of original research among all publications did not increase at the same rate, the number of citations per publication was low compared to other countries, and the number of publications in journals with high impact factor was very low.Conclusion:In addition to the quantitative improvement of publications in the field of dermatology in our country, plans should be made to improve them also in terms of quality

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management and course of chronic urticaria

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupts health care around the globe. The impact of the pandemic on chronic urticaria (CU) and its management are largely unknown. Aim To understand how CU patients are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; how specialists alter CU patient management; and the course of CU in patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods Our cross-sectional, international, questionnaire-based, multicenter UCARE COVID-CU study assessed the impact of the pandemic on patient consultations, remote treatment, changes in medications, and clinical consequences. Results The COVID-19 pandemic severely impairs CU patient care, with less than 50% of the weekly numbers of patients treated as compared to before the pandemic. Reduced patient referrals and clinic hours were the major reasons. Almost half of responding UCARE physicians were involved in COVID-19 patient care, which negatively impacted on the care of urticaria patients. The rate of face-to-face consultations decreased by 62%, from 90% to less than half, whereas the rate of remote consultations increased by more than 600%, from one in 10 to more than two thirds. Cyclosporine and systemic corticosteroids, but not antihistamines or omalizumab, are used less during the pandemic. CU does not affect the course of COVID-19, but COVID-19 results in CU exacerbation in one of three patients, with higher rates in patients with severe COVID-19. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic brings major changes and challenges for CU patients and their physicians. The long-term consequences of these changes, especially the increased use of remote consultations, require careful evaluation