Differences in Reporting the Ragweed Pollen Season Using Google Trends across 15 Countries

In: Bousquet, Jean, Agache, Ioana, Berger, Uwe, Bergmann, Karl-Christian, Besancenot, Jean-Pierre, Bousquet, Philippe J., Casale, Tom, d'Amato, Gennaro, Kaidashev, Igor orcid:0000-0002-4708-0859 , Khaitov, Musa, Moesges, Ralph, Nekam, Kristof, Onorato, Gabrielle L., Plavec, Davor orcid:0000-0003-2020-8119 , Sheikh, Aziz orcid:0000-0001-7022-3056 , Thibaudon, Michel, Vautard, Robert and Zidarn, Mihaela orcid:0000-0003-0515-5207 (2018). Differences in Reporting the Ragweed Pollen Season Using Google Trends across 15 Countries. Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol., 176 (3-4). BASEL: KARGER. ISSN 1423-0097

Abstract

Background: Google Trends (GT) searches trends of specific queries in Google, which potentially reflect the real-life epidemiology of allergic rhinitis. We compared GT terms related to ragweed pollen allergy in American and European Union countries with a known ragweed pollen season. Our aim was to assess seasonality and the terms needed to perform the GT searches and to compare these during the spring and summer pollen seasons. Methods: We examined GT queries from January 1, 2011, to January 4, 2017. We included 15 countries with a known ragweed pollen season and used the standard 5-year GT graphs. We used the GT translation for all countries and the untranslated native terms for each country. Results: The results of pollen, ragweed, and allergy searches differed between countries, but ragweed was clearly identified in 12 of the 15 countries. There was considerable heterogeneity of findings when the GT translation was used. For Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia, the GT translation was inappropriate. The country patterns of pollen, hay fever, and allergy differed in 8 of the 11 countries with identified ragweed queries during the spring and the summer, indicating that the perception of tree and grass pollen allergy differs from that of ragweed pollen. Conclusions: To investigate ragweed pollen allergy using GT, the term ragweed as a plant is required and the translation of ragweed in the native language needed. (C) 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel