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Abstract: TH-PO668

Global and National Public Awareness and Interest in Glomerular Diseases, 2004-2024

Session Information

Category: Glomerular Diseases

  • 1402 Glomerular Diseases: Clinical, Outcomes, and Therapeutics

Authors

  • Balakrishnan, Suryanarayanan, Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
  • Thongprayoon, Charat, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota, United States
  • Craici, Iasmina, Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
  • Cheungpasitporn, Wisit, Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
  • Miao, Jing, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota, United States
Background

Glomerular diseases (GD) significantly impact global health, and public awareness of these conditions is crucial, especially in recent years, as emerging treatments and clinical trials offer patients new opportunities for care. This study investigated public interest in 5 common GD based on Internet search queries.

Methods

We conducted a Google Trends™ search for the terms IgA nephropathy (IgAN), membranous glomerulonephritis (MN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), lupus nephritis (LN), and diabetic nephropathy (DN) between 1/1/2004 and 5/13/2024. Searching trends were analyzed in both worldwide and the United States.

Results

Over a 20-year review, IgAN showed the most global attention on Google Trends™, whereas MN attracted the least (Fig. A). LN demonstrated a rise in interest, peaking at 43 in Mar 2022. In contrast, 4 other diseases, including IgAN, DN, FSGS and MN, experienced noticeable declines in interest (Fig. B). Their peak interest search recorded in Apr 2004 for IgAN (100), Jan 2004 for DN (95), May 2004 for FSGS (94) and Feb 2005 for MN (26) (Fig. E). Each GD’s interest varied across the top 5 countries (Fig. E). In the United States, search trends paralleled global pattern, with various search activity across states (Fig. C-E).

Conclusion

Despite new treatments and more clinical trials for GD, public interest remains low and unincreased, especially in conditions like MN. This underscores the necessity for heightened awareness to ensure patients benefit from these advancements. The differing interest levels across countries indicate the need for specific public health strategies. There is a crucial need to enhance the availability of accurate information on these diseases through social media and websites to encourage appropriate patient engagement and care.