Looking for Reliable Hay Fever Advice? It's Probably Not on YouTube.

Need information about hay fever? Steer clear of YouTube, a new study advises.

Researchers found misinformation about allergic rhinitis, the medical name for the disorder, in a large numbers of posts on the popular video-sharing site.

That's significant because 7 in 10 patients with a chronic disease are influenced by information they get online and a quarter of internet users have watched an online video about a health or medical problem, according to lead author Celine Lund-Nielsen Remvig, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

The findings were published recently in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

"Our study found that YouTube viewers may be unable to distinguish scientifically based information from misinformation," Remvig said in a journal news release. "In reviewing YouTube videos on the topic of allergic rhinitis, we found that less than half of the videos provided useful information." - Read entire article by HealthDay News