Public Interest in Raynaud’s Phenomenon: A Google Trends Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Raynaud’s phenomenon is a common disorder affecting body extremities. As infodemiological methods developed, online search tools could be used to explore the public interest of the disease. The study aimed to determine the annual trend, seasonal pattern, and associated topics of Raynaud’s phenomenon.Methods: Google Trends was used to collect the data. “Raynaud syndrome” was selected as the search term. Data on monthly relative search volume (RSV) were collected from 4 selected countries (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand) and globally. Related topics were obtained, and annual related topics were also collected for analysis.Results: The maximum RSV appeared in January 2019, and the minimum value was observed in August 2011. The peak for RSV occurred in winter, and the bottom appeared in summer. In top related topics, “Maurice Raynaud” was the most related. In rising related topics, disease manifestations and autoimmune connective diseases were highly concerned. For annual related topics, associated diseases were attracting more attention over time.Conclusions: The population is interested in related diseases, pathogenesis, and treatment. There was a peak in winter for searching and revealed that there might be a positive correlation between disease attack and seasonal variation.