Seasonal trends in hypertension in Poland: evidence from Google search engine query data

Abstract

 Background: Various conditions, including arterial hypertension, exhibit seasonal trends in their occurrence and magnitude. Those trends correspond to an interest exhibited in the number of Internet searches for the specific conditions per month.

Aim: The aim of the study was to show seasonal trends in the hypertension prevalence in Poland relate to the data from the Google Trends tool.

Methods: Internet search engine query data were retrieved from Google Trends from January 2008 to November 2017. Data were calculated as a monthly normalised search volume from the nine-year period. Data was presented for specific geographic regions, including Poland, the United States of America, Australia, and worldwide for the following search terms: “arterial hypertension (pol. nadciśnienie tętnicze)”, “hypertension (pol. nadciśnienie)” and “hypertension medical condition”. Seasonal effects were calculated using regression models and presented graphically.

Results: In Poland the search volume is the highest between November and May, while patients exhibit the least interest in arterial hypertension during summer holidays (p < 0.05). Seasonal variations are comparable in the United States of America representing a Northern hemisphere country, while in Australia (Southern hemisphere) they exhibit a contrary trend.

Conclusions: In conclusion, arterial hypertension is more likely to occur during winter months, which correlates with increased interest in the search phrase “hypertension” in Google.