Temporal evolution of digital health communication in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A longitudinal NLP analysis of reddit discussions (2018-2024).

ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by joint pain, fatigue, and reduced quality of life. Although pharmacological interventions, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), address physical symptoms, the psychological and emotional challenges associated with RA are frequently neglected. Social media platforms, particularly Reddit, have emerged as significant venue for patients to share experiences and seek support, a trend that has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined six years (2018-2024) of discussions from the r/rheumatoid and r/rheumatoidarthritis subreddits, encompassing 22,537 posts and 276,209 comments. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques were implem

SUBMITTER: Patel N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12818618 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature