A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study

Introduction and Objectives: Patients increasingly use social media to share and access health-related information and experiences. This study employed social media listening to gain patient-centric insights into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non...

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Main Authors: Jeffrey V. Lazarus, William Alazawi, Ron Basuroy, Laurent Castera, Dmitry Estulin, Yiannoula Koulla, Preethy Prasad, Manuel Romero-Gomez, Hirokazu Takahashi, Vincent Wai-Sun Wong, Jörn M. Schattenberg
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Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Annals of Hepatology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1665268124005246
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author Jeffrey V. Lazarus
William Alazawi
Ron Basuroy
Laurent Castera
Dmitry Estulin
Yiannoula Koulla
Preethy Prasad
Manuel Romero-Gomez
Hirokazu Takahashi
Vincent Wai-Sun Wong
Jörn M. Schattenberg
author_facet Jeffrey V. Lazarus
William Alazawi
Ron Basuroy
Laurent Castera
Dmitry Estulin
Yiannoula Koulla
Preethy Prasad
Manuel Romero-Gomez
Hirokazu Takahashi
Vincent Wai-Sun Wong
Jörn M. Schattenberg
author_sort Jeffrey V. Lazarus
collection DOAJ
description Introduction and Objectives: Patients increasingly use social media to share and access health-related information and experiences. This study employed social media listening to gain patient-centric insights into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and Method: Publicly available social media data was collected between November 4th, 2020, and November 4th, 2022, about MASLD from eight countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The analysis involved capturing patient conversations on their journey stages (causes-risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment), unmet needs, and impact on patient's quality of life (QoL) from various social media platforms to gain insights associated with MASLD. Results: A total of 1600 patient-centric posts were analyzed. The patient journey was the most prevalent topic (92 %) mentioned, followed by comorbidities (38 %) and interactions with HCPs (26 %, health care professionals). Key causes discussed included unhealthy diet (39 %) and overweight/obese (32 %), while the most mentioned symptoms were fatigue (20 %) and pain or abdominal discomfort (20 %). Ultrasound (n=170/553, 31 %) was the most used diagnosis, followed by blood tests (n=130/553, 24 %) and liver function tests (n=91/553, 16 %). Lifestyle management techniques were mainly the standard of care, followed by treatment (n=270/1061, 25 %) and follow-ups with HCPs (n=133/1061, 13 %). Over half (54 %) of the QoL discussion (n=104/192) focused on patients’ comorbidities, and 27 % on disease severity, indicating that having MASLD in moderate to severe form with comorbidities significantly affects patients’ quality of life. An emotional analysis revealed that patients were worried and frustrated about their condition but were also hopeful and determined to improve their health. Nearly 38 % of the posts mentioned that patients were emotionally affected by negative feelings, especially those with multiple comorbidities. Lack of access to knowledgeable HCPs and treatment options were the most frequently discussed unmet needs. Conclusions: This analysis of NAFLD patient experiences introduces a unique approach for deriving insights into patients' experiences and their impact on QoL. These insights have the potential to complement conventional methods and foster patient-centric research.
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spelling doaj-art-e3efacc841b44f17b0fac32ea64d76672025-08-20T03:20:22ZengElsevierAnnals of Hepatology1665-26812025-01-0130110174110.1016/j.aohep.2024.101741A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD studyJeffrey V. Lazarus0William Alazawi1Ron Basuroy2Laurent Castera3Dmitry Estulin4Yiannoula Koulla5Preethy Prasad6Manuel Romero-Gomez7Hirokazu Takahashi8Vincent Wai-Sun Wong9Jörn M. Schattenberg10CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), New York, NY, United States; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding author.Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University London, London, United KingdomNovo Nordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark (affiliated at the time of submission)Department of Hepatology, Hospital Beaujon AP-HP, University of Paris, Clichy, FranceNovo Nordisk, Zurich, SwitzerlandEuropean Liver Patients’ Association, Brussels, BelgiumNovo Nordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark (affiliated at the time of submission)Digestive Diseases Department and Ciberehd, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (HUVR/CSIC/US), University of Seville, Seville, SpainDivision of Metabolism and Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan; Liver Center, Saga University Hospital, Saga, JapanThe Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, GermanyIntroduction and Objectives: Patients increasingly use social media to share and access health-related information and experiences. This study employed social media listening to gain patient-centric insights into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and Method: Publicly available social media data was collected between November 4th, 2020, and November 4th, 2022, about MASLD from eight countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The analysis involved capturing patient conversations on their journey stages (causes-risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment), unmet needs, and impact on patient's quality of life (QoL) from various social media platforms to gain insights associated with MASLD. Results: A total of 1600 patient-centric posts were analyzed. The patient journey was the most prevalent topic (92 %) mentioned, followed by comorbidities (38 %) and interactions with HCPs (26 %, health care professionals). Key causes discussed included unhealthy diet (39 %) and overweight/obese (32 %), while the most mentioned symptoms were fatigue (20 %) and pain or abdominal discomfort (20 %). Ultrasound (n=170/553, 31 %) was the most used diagnosis, followed by blood tests (n=130/553, 24 %) and liver function tests (n=91/553, 16 %). Lifestyle management techniques were mainly the standard of care, followed by treatment (n=270/1061, 25 %) and follow-ups with HCPs (n=133/1061, 13 %). Over half (54 %) of the QoL discussion (n=104/192) focused on patients’ comorbidities, and 27 % on disease severity, indicating that having MASLD in moderate to severe form with comorbidities significantly affects patients’ quality of life. An emotional analysis revealed that patients were worried and frustrated about their condition but were also hopeful and determined to improve their health. Nearly 38 % of the posts mentioned that patients were emotionally affected by negative feelings, especially those with multiple comorbidities. Lack of access to knowledgeable HCPs and treatment options were the most frequently discussed unmet needs. Conclusions: This analysis of NAFLD patient experiences introduces a unique approach for deriving insights into patients' experiences and their impact on QoL. These insights have the potential to complement conventional methods and foster patient-centric research.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1665268124005246NAFLDNon-alcoholic steatohepatitisMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver diseaseMASLDSocial mediaPatient journey
spellingShingle Jeffrey V. Lazarus
William Alazawi
Ron Basuroy
Laurent Castera
Dmitry Estulin
Yiannoula Koulla
Preethy Prasad
Manuel Romero-Gomez
Hirokazu Takahashi
Vincent Wai-Sun Wong
Jörn M. Schattenberg
A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study
Annals of Hepatology
NAFLD
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
MASLD
Social media
Patient journey
title A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study
title_full A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study
title_fullStr A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study
title_full_unstemmed A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study
title_short A social media listening study of patients’ experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The LISTEN-MASLD study
title_sort social media listening study of patients experiences relating to metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease the listen masld study
topic NAFLD
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
MASLD
Social media
Patient journey
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1665268124005246
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