ArticleJMIR public health and surveillance2021
Estimating the Incidence of Conjunctivitis by Comparing the Frequency of Google Search Terms With Clinical Data: Retrospective Study.
Article in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Analyzing Asian Trends in Ocular Cosmetic Surgery Through Internet Search Patterns.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2025Article
- Identifying sarcoidosis trends using web search and real-world data in Sweden: a retrospective longitudinal study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact urticaria information-seeking behavior in China? A retrospective longitudinal study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Monitoring disease activity of pollen allergies: What crowdsourced data are telling us.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2022Article
- [Web search data as health data? : Geographic differences, temporal trends, and topics of interest from internet search engine analyses in Germany].Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift fur Dermatologie, Venerologie, und verwandte Gebiete · 2022Review
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundInfectious conjunctivitis is contagious and may lead to an outbreak. Prevention systems can help to avoid an outbreak.
objectiveWe aimed to evaluate if Google search data on conjunctivitis and associated terms can be used to estimate the incidence and if the data can provide an estimation for outbreaks.
methodsWe obtained Google search data over 4 years for the German term for conjunctivitis ("Bindehautentzündung") and 714 associated terms in 12 selected German cities and Germany as a whole using the Google AdWords Keyword Planner. The search volume from Freiburg was correlated with clinical data from the Freiburg emergency practice (Eye Center University of Freiburg).
resultsThe search volume for the German term for conjunctivitis in Germany as a whole and in the 12 German cities showed a highly uniform seasonal pattern. Cross-correlation between the temporal search frequencies in Germany as a whole and the 12 selected cities was high without any lag. Cross-correlation of the search volume in Freiburg with the frequency of conjunctivitis (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems [ICD] code group "H10.-") from the centralized ophthalmologic emergency practice in Freiburg revealed a considerable temporal association, with the emergency practice lagging behind the frequency. Additionally, Pearson correlation between the count of patients per month and the count of searches per month in Freiburg was statistically significant (P=.04).
conclusionsWe observed a close correlation between the Google search volume for the signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis and the frequency of patients with a congruent diagnosis in the Freiburg region. Regional deviations from the nationwide average search volume may therefore indicate a regional outbreak of infectious conjunctivitis.
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