Rosacea and Associated Comorbidities: A Google Search Trends Analysis

BACKGROUND: There is recent evidence linking rosacea to systemic disease. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify correlations in Google searches (Google LLC, Mountain View, California) for rosacea and comorbid conditions to assess whether the public is seeking information regarding these trends. METHODS: Google search data from January 1, 2004, to February 28, 2018, for rosacea and search terms representing common comorbid conditions were investigated. This analysis included searches occurring in the United States (US), Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia. Search volume index (SVI) data were plotted over time and Pearson correlation coeficients were calculated from search data to assess for correlations between search terms. RESULTS: The level of interest in rosacea was highest in the spring and lowest in the winter in the US, Canada, and UK. Seasonal search trends in Australia were the inverse of those in northern hemisphere nations. Significant correlations were found between depression and rosacea SVI in the US (R=0.481; p0.001), dementia and rosacea SVI in the UK (R=0.774; p=0.011), and hypothyroidism and rosacea SVI (R=0.752; p0.001) in the UK. Additionally, search trends for irritable bowel syndrome (R=0.399; p0.001) and ulcerative colitis (R=0.514; p=0.032) correlated significantly with rosacea in Canada and the UK, respectively. In Australia, search trends for osteoporosis significantly correlated with rosacea (R=0.394; p0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate growing interest among the general public regarding rosacea and comorbid diseases, which behooves clinicians to adopt a more comprehensive approach in managing rosacea patients.