Peaks in online inquiries into pharyngitis-related symptoms correspond with annual incidence rates
Open Access
- 1 May 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in European Archives Of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
- Vol. 278 (5), 1653-1660
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06362-4
Abstract
Objective To assess whether web-based public inquiries into pharyngitis-related search terms follow annual incidence peaks of acute pharyngitis in various countries from both hemispheres. Methods Google Trends (GT) was utilized for systematic acquisition of pharyngitis-related search terms (sore throat, cough, fever, cold). Six countries from both hemispheres including four English (United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia) and two non-English speaking countries (Austria and Germany) were selected for further analysis. Time series data on relative search interest for pharyngitis-related search terms, covering a timeframe between 2004 and 2019 were extracted. Following reliability analysis using the intra-class correlation coefficient, the cosinor time series analysis was utilized to determine annual peaks in public-inquiries. Results The extracted datasets of GT proved to be highly reliable with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.83 to 1.0. Graphical visualization showed annual seasonal peaks for pharyngitis-related search terms in all included countries. The cosinor time series analysis revealed these peaks to be statistically significant during winter months (allp < 0.001). Conclusion Our study revealed seasonal variations for pharyngitis-related terms which corresponded to winter incidence peaks of acute pharyngitis. These results highlight the need for easily accessible information on diagnosis, therapy, and red-flag symptoms for this common disease. Accurately informed patients might contribute to a reduction of unnecessary clinic visits and potentially cutback the futile antibiotic overuse.Keywords
Funding Information
- Medical University of Vienna
This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit:
- Seasonal trends in tinnitus symptomatology: evidence from Internet search engine query dataPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,2014
- Streptococcal pharyngitis in children: to treat or not to treat?European Journal of Pediatrics, 2014
- Management of acute streptococcal pharyngitis: still the subject of controversyOpen Medicine, 2013
- Sore throat: effective communication delivers improved diagnosis, enhanced self-care and more rational use of antibioticsInternational Journal Of Clinical Practice, 2013
- Using Google Trends for Influenza Surveillance in South ChinaPLOS ONE, 2013
- Evaluation of a Web-based Intervention Providing Tailored Advice for Self-management of Minor Respiratory Symptoms: Exploratory Randomized Controlled TrialJournal of Medical Internet Research, 2010
- Expand the Pharyngitis Paradigm for Adolescents and Young AdultsAnnals of Internal Medicine, 2009
- Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in ChildrenPediatrics, 2009
- Economic Burden of Adult Pharyngitis: The Payer's PerspectiveValue in Health, 2008
- The role of pharmacists in patients' education on medicationPublic Health, 1992