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Int J Angiol 2022; 31(01): 027-033
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735203
Original Article

The Retrospective Analysis of Google Queries Related to Cardiovascular Diseases Symptoms in the Years 2004–2019

Mikołaj Kamiński‡   *
1   Department of Treatment of Obesity, Metabolic Disorders and Clinical Dietetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
,
Michał Borger‡   *
2   University Hospital of Lord's Transfiguration, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
,
Paweł Bogdański
1   Department of Treatment of Obesity, Metabolic Disorders and Clinical Dietetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
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Abstract

The Internet enables immediate access to health-related information. We aimed to rank the complaints related to cardiovascular diseases among Google users globally and locally as well as investigate secular and seasonal trends in the years 2004 to 2019. We used Google Trends (GT) to identify and analyze course over time and regional interest of seven topics: “Chest pain,” “Cyanosis,” “Edema,” “Orthopnea,” “Palpitation,” “Shortness of breath,” and “Syncope.” We analyzed secular trends using the seasonal Mann–Kendall test and seasonal variation using time series decomposition. We calculated the interest of all topics in proportion to the relative search volume (RSV) of “Chest Pain.” Globally the most popular topics were: “Edema” (proportion to RSV of “Chest pain,” 1.39), “Chest pain” (1.00), and Syncope (0.71). “Chest pain” was predominately searched in n = 25 countries, while “Edema” in n = 24, “Syncope” in n = 9, and “Shortness of breath” in n = 3. The RSV of all topics increases over time and the most dynamically for “Chest pain” (4.30 RSV/year), “Shortness of breath” (3.87 RSV/year), and “Palpitations” (3.69 RSV/year). Interest in “Chest pain,” “Cyanosis,” “Orthopnea,” “Palpitations,” and “Syncope” peaks in fall and winter, while interest in “Edema” in midsummer and “Shortness of breath” in April. Google users were particularly interested in “Edema,” “Chest pain,” and “Syncope.” The interest in cardiovascular diseases-related symptoms increases over time and presents explicable seasonal variations. The Internet plays the acquisition of health-related information; thus, professionals should create and recommend evidence-based information sources for their patients.

Keywords

cardiovascular disease - chest pain - edema - Google Trends - Internet - palpitations - symptomatic

Authors' Contributions

Concept: M.K.; Data collection: M.K.; Data analysis: M.K.; Figures and tables: M.K.; Interpretation: M.K., M.B., P.B.; Original draft preparation: M.K., M.B.; Critical review and final approval: M.K., M.B., P.B.


Data Availability

Data set is available on Mendeley (do: 10.17632/sd79s6ptyb.1).


* Both authors equally contributed to the study.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Article published online:
01 October 2021

© 2021. International College of Angiology. This article is published by Thieme.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
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