Understanding Patient Perspectives on Rosacea: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the r/Rosacea Forum on Reddit

BACKGROUND: As the largest online rosacea forum, r/Rosacea, a subreddit hosted on Reddit, provides a unique opportunity to better understand the concerns of rosacea patients. METHODS: Using Python software and artificial intelligence models, a total of 1,000 posts from the r/Rosacea subreddit were analyzed for emotional tone, post category, and mentions of signs and symptoms, as well as medications. RESULTS: The majority of posts were classified as seeking advice (n = 631), and posts categorized as patient stories received the highest median upvotes (P<0.001). Rosacea patients were found to be most concerned with external appearance, with redness (45.2%) and pustules (24.2%) being the most discussed signs in advice-seeking posts. Posts referencing burning exhibited strong negative emotional tones of anger and disgust. Ivermectin (12.7%) and azelaic acid (10.9%) were the most discussed medications in advice-seeking posts, and ivermectin received significantly lower median upvotes (P=0.0067). CONCLUSION: The insights of this cross-sectional analysis aid in achieving a deeper understanding of the rosacea patient perspective. Additional emotional analysis of the posts highlights the need for greater focus on the psychological burden of the disease. The frequency and popularity of rosacea medications reveal potential gaps in patient education and raises concerns regarding treatment adherence to medications, including ivermectin. It is imperative to increase rosacea patient access to quality-assured educational resources and to limit the potential spread of misinformation on r/Rosacea.  .