Amanda Stanton1, Steven J Katz2. 1. Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. 2. Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. steven.katz@ualberta.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The etiology and pathophysiology of sarcoidosis remains unclear, with epidemiologic studies limited by its relatively low prevalence. The internet has prompted patients to seek information about medical diagnoses online; Google Trends provides access to an anonymized version of this data, which has a new role in epidemiology. We hypothesize that there is seasonal variation in the relative search interest of sarcoidosis, which would suggest seasonal variation in the incidence of sarcoidosis. METHODS: Google Trends was used to assess the relative search volume from 2010 to 2020 for "sarcoidosis" and "sarcoid" in 7 countries. ANOVA with multiple comparisons was performed to compare the mean relative search volume by month and by season for each country, with a p-value less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a significant seasonal variation in search popularity in 4 of the 7 countries and in the Northern Hemispheric countries combined. Direct comparison showed search terms to be more popular in spring, specifically March & April, than in the winter. Southern Hemisphere data was not statistically significant but showed a trend towards a nadir in December and a peak in September and October. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these findings suggest seasonal variation with a possible peak in spring and nadir in winter. This supports the hypothesis that sarcoidosis has seasonal variation and is more commonly diagnosed in spring, but more evidence is needed to support this, as well as investigation into the pathophysiology of sarcoidosis to explain this phenomenon.
BACKGROUND: The etiology and pathophysiology of sarcoidosis remains unclear, with epidemiologic studies limited by its relatively low prevalence. The internet has prompted patients to seek information about medical diagnoses online; Google Trends provides access to an anonymized version of this data, which has a new role in epidemiology. We hypothesize that there is seasonal variation in the relative search interest of sarcoidosis, which would suggest seasonal variation in the incidence of sarcoidosis. METHODS: Google Trends was used to assess the relative search volume from 2010 to 2020 for "sarcoidosis" and "sarcoid" in 7 countries. ANOVA with multiple comparisons was performed to compare the mean relative search volume by month and by season for each country, with a p-value less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a significant seasonal variation in search popularity in 4 of the 7 countries and in the Northern Hemispheric countries combined. Direct comparison showed search terms to be more popular in spring, specifically March & April, than in the winter. Southern Hemisphere data was not statistically significant but showed a trend towards a nadir in December and a peak in September and October. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these findings suggest seasonal variation with a possible peak in spring and nadir in winter. This supports the hypothesis that sarcoidosis has seasonal variation and is more commonly diagnosed in spring, but more evidence is needed to support this, as well as investigation into the pathophysiology of sarcoidosis to explain this phenomenon.
Authors: Bradford W Hesse; David E Nelson; Gary L Kreps; Robert T Croyle; Neeraj K Arora; Barbara K Rimer; Kasisomayajula Viswanath Journal: Arch Intern Med Date: 2005 Dec 12-26
Authors: Ingrid S van Maurik; Stephanie J Vos; Isabelle Bos; Femke H Bouwman; Charlotte E Teunissen; Philip Scheltens; Frederik Barkhof; Lutz Frolich; Johannes Kornhuber; Jens Wiltfang; Wolfgang Maier; Oliver Peters; Eckart Rüther; Flavio Nobili; Giovanni B Frisoni; Luiza Spiru; Yvonne Freund-Levi; Asa K Wallin; Harald Hampel; Hilkka Soininen; Magda Tsolaki; Frans Verhey; Iwona Kłoszewska; Patrizia Mecocci; Bruno Vellas; Simon Lovestone; Samantha Galluzzi; Sanna-Kaisa Herukka; Isabel Santana; Ines Baldeiras; Alexandre de Mendonça; Dina Silva; Gael Chetelat; Stephanie Egret; Sebastian Palmqvist; Oskar Hansson; Pieter Jelle Visser; Johannes Berkhof; Wiesje M van der Flier Journal: Lancet Neurol Date: 2019-09-13 Impact factor: 44.182