{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T18:58:01Z","timestamp":1782845881156,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIR Dermatol"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Xylazine has been associated with skin wounds. The rising prevalence of xylazine and its debated role in wound causation have sparked concerns among public health professionals, medical experts, and people who use drugs.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study used a qualitative evaluation of Reddit posts to understand the experiences of people who use drugs concerning xylazine-associated wounds.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n This study explored xylazine discussions on Reddit. Data were collected from 930+ drug-related subreddits via the PRAW Python application programming interface, and natural language processing methods were employed to identify posts that mentioned xylazine and wound-related keywords. Retrieved posts were manually coded for thematic analysis, and a term frequency\u2013inverse document frequency analysis was performed per theme to obtain additional insights.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n The manual classification of 286 posts revealed predominant themes related to the pathophysiology of xylazine, wound locations on the body, and management strategies. The 3 most frequent xylazine wound-related themes were \u201cMechanisms of xylazine-associated wounds\u201d (84 posts, 29.4%), \u201cGeographic region\u201d (67, 23.4%), and \u201cLocation of wounds on the body\u201d (56, 19.6%). The analysis showed xylazine\u2019s presence in the discussions among Reddit\u2019s drug-using communities, with a notable focus on wound management and geographic trends. The term frequency\u2013inverse document frequency analysis revealed prominent lexical markers within each theme.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n The findings suggest that social media platforms such as Reddit can serve as valuable resources for understanding emerging health issues such as xylazine-associated wounds. The study\u2019s findings highlight patterns of use, the characteristics of wounds on people who use drugs, and discussions about wound management. This study adds to a growing body of literature using social media to understand the consequences of emerging drugs on human health.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/70329","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]],"date-time":"2025-09-12T19:51:31Z","timestamp":1757706691000},"page":"e70329-e70329","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Characterization of Reddit Posts About Xylazine-Associated Wounds: Qualitative Study"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"8","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0941-4651","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anthony","family":"Spadaro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6069-5869","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"JaMor","family":"Hairston","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1304-7484","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sahithi","family":"Lakamana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6141-1776","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rachel","family":"Wightman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5882-4390","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jennifer","family":"Love","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7073-9060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jeanmarie","family":"Perrone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7358-544X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abeed","family":"Sarker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugalcdep.2022.109380","article-title":"Xylazine spreads across the US: a growing component of the increasingly synthetic and polysubstance overdose crisis","volume":"233","author":"Friedman","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Depend"},{"issue":"1","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12954-023-00867-x","article-title":"Public health impact and harm reduction implications of xylazine-involved overdoses: a narrative review","volume":"20","author":"Zhu","journal-title":"Harm Reduct J"},{"issue":"1","key":"R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1097\/ADM.0000000000001245","article-title":"Xylazine-associated wounds: clinical experience from a low-barrier wound care clinic in Philadelphia","volume":"18","author":"McFadden","journal-title":"J Addict Med"},{"key":"R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dadr.2022.100074","article-title":"Perspectives of people in Philadelphia who use fentanyl\/heroin adulterated with the animal tranquilizer xylazine; making a case for xylazine test strips","volume":"4","author":"Reed","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Depend Rep"},{"issue":"12","key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1013","DOI":"10.1080\/15563650.2023.2294619","article-title":"Closing the xylazine knowledge gap","volume":"61","author":"Hoffman","journal-title":"Clin Toxicol (Phila)"},{"issue":"10","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1370","DOI":"10.7326\/M23-2001","article-title":"Xylazine adulteration of the heroin-fentanyl drug supply\u202f: a narrative review","volume":"176","author":"D\u2019Orazio","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"},{"issue":"6","key":"R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"691","DOI":"10.1097\/ADM.0000000000001216","article-title":"Self-reported xylazine experiences: a mixed-methods study of Reddit subscribers","volume":"17","author":"Spadaro","journal-title":"J Addict Med"},{"key":"R8","unstructured":"Dean B . Backlinko. Reddit user and growth stats. Apr 8, 2024. 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The New York Times. Tranq dope: animal sedative mixed with fentanyl brings fresh horror to U.S. drug zones. 2023. 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