Understanding Public Perceptions and Discussions on Fibromyalgia through Social Media: Cross-Sectional Infodemiology Study

Background: Fibromyalgia is a prevalent condition of unknown etiology, characterized by generalized chronic pain that leads to disability, and has significant direct and indirect costs. The objective of this study was to examine the content and key aspects of tweets pertaining to diseases associated with chronic pain. Methods: We investigated tweets published between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, by English and Spanish-speaking Twitter users, as well as generated retweets. Additionally, emotions were extracted from these tweets and their dissemination was analysed. Similarly, the topics that users most frequently address were compiled. Results: In total, 72,874 tweets were analysed in both English (44,467) and Spanish (28,407). Paraplegia represented 23.3%, with 16,461 classifiable tweets, followed by headache and fibromyalgia, with 15,337 (21.7%) and 15,179 (21.5%) tweets, respectively. Multiple sclerosis generated 14,781 tweets (21%), while the lowest number of tweets was associated with neuropathy, totaling 8,830 tweets (12.5%). The findings revealed that the primary emotions extracted were "fear" and "sadness". Furthermore, the scope and impact of these tweets were investigated through the generated retweets, with those related to headaches being of the highest interest and having the greatest interaction among users. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to understanding the role that social media plays in fostering public awareness of chronic pain and improving patients' comprehension and treatment. Moreover, these results are likely to be applicable to other countries whose languages were not covered in our study.