The Evaluation of Cardiac Diseases associated Google Search Trends during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: To demonstrate public interest in cardiac diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic by using google trends (GT). Methods: The authors defined 25 terms related to cardiac diseases including coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, heart attack, acute myocardial infarction, pacemaker, coronary stent, coronary balloon, angioplasty, hyperlipidemia, arrhythmia, ablation, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, aortic aneurysm, aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, mitral valve insufficiency, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, endocarditis, heart tumors, pericarditis, myocarditis and pericardial effusion. All keywords were analyzed in GT using the filters ‘All categories’, ‘Web search’, and ‘Worldwide’. To analyze public attention to cardiac diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, three eight week periods after the COVID-19 pandemic announcement (March 11th- May 5th, May 6th – June 30th and July 1st - August 25th) were compared with the same durations in the past four years (2016-2019). Results: Comparison of the March 11th – May 5th 2020 period, and the same periods between from 2016-2019 demonstrated that total public interest in cardiac diseases was significantly decreased (-7.8%, p=0.001). In the comparison of the second and third eight-week periods, total public attention about cardiac diseases was comparable (p=0.245 and p= 0.365). Terms about coronary artery disease, hypertension and myocarditis were searched for statistically more commonly during the COVID-19. Conclusion: The present study found that public interest about cardiac diseases significantly decreased in the first eight weeks at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic but public interest reached the same level as previous years after eight weeks. Terms of coronary artery disease, hypertension and myocarditis were searched for statistically more commonly during the COVID-19 pandemic.