Objective:

TikTok has experienced exponential growth as a social media platform, with over 1 billion active users. Concurrently, retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction (RCPD) has seen a surge in awareness among patients and on social media. Our objective was to characterize the most popular RCPD-related content on TikTok.

Methods:

The top 50 videos associated with the following hashtags were analyzed: “RCPD,” “noburp,” “retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction,” and “noburpsyndrome.” Recorded metrics included views, likes, and comments, along with information regarding the creator’s identity, gender, geographical location, and the video’s purpose.

Results:

One hundred and three videos were included in the final analysis, with a cumulative total of 32 284 962 views, 3 185 271 likes, and 54 664 comments. Over 90% of these videos were created by patients or the general public, with less than 5% attributed to physicians. The primary purpose of these videos varied, with 46.60% aimed at educating viewers about RCPD, 23.30% serving as post-treatment testimonies, and 14.56% demonstrating symptoms.

Conclusion:

TikTok is a highly popular platform for RCPD-related content. Patient education, treatment testimonies, and symptom demonstration were the most common primary purposes of these videos. Considering the limited representation of physician-generated content, this social media landscape represents an opportunity for otolaryngologists to leverage TikTok for educational outreach and patient advocacy.

Search results

Analysis of Content Related to Retrograde Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction on TikTok: Opportunities for Patient Education and Advocacy