Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33877434›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2022

Annual trends in Google searches provides insights related to rhinosinusitis exacerbations.

David T Liu, Martin Schally, Sven Schneider, Julia Eckl-Dorna, Katie M Phillips, Christian A Mueller, Ahmad R Sedaghat, Gerold Besser

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.Current allergy and asthma reports · 2025
    Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

David T LiuDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Martin SchallyDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Sven SchneiderDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Julia Eckl-DornaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Katie M PhillipsDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Christian A MuellerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. christian.a.mueller@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6172-5417
Ahmad R SedaghatDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Gerold BesserDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Vienna General Hospital · ATUniversity of Cincinnati Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTemporal trends of disease-specific internet searches may provide novel insights into seasonal dynamics of disease burden and, by extension, disease pathophysiology. The aim of this study was to define the temporal trends in rhinosinusitis-specific internet searches.

methodsThis was a cross sectional analysis of search volume for predefined search terms. Google trends was used to explore the volume of searches for five specific search terms related to rhinosinusitis: nose, mucus, sinus, sinusitis, chronic sinusitis, which were entered into Google web search between 2004 and 2019. Results were analyzed within search "context" which included temporally associated related searches. Relative search volume (RSV) was analyzed for English and non-English speaking countries from the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Analysis of seasonality was performed using the cosinor model.

resultsThe five specific search terms were most related to rhinosinusitis-related search contexts, indicating that they were appropriately reflective of internet queries by patients for rhinosinusitis. The RSV for rhinosinusitis-related terms and more general search terms increased with each passing year indicating constant interest in rhinosinusitis. Cosinor time series analysis revealed inquiry peaks in winter months for all five specific rhinosinusitis-related search terms independent from the hemisphere.

conclusionOver a 15-year period, Google searches with rhinosinusitis-specific search terms consistently peaked during the winter around the world. These findings indirectly support the model of viral infection or exposure as the predominant cause of acute rhinosinusitis and acute exacerbations of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Indexed as

Search EngineSinusitisCross-Sectional StudiesHumansInternetSeasonsAcute rhinosinusitisARSChronic rhinosinusitisCosinorCRSGoogle trendsInfodemiologyNoseRhinosinusitisSeasonalitySinusitis

Identifiers

PMID33877434
PMCPMC8739168
OpenAlexW3155415795

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.