Web search behavior for multiple sclerosis: An infodemiological study

- Over time a reduction in online search for the term “multiple sclerosis” occurred.
- Most terms associated with the search queries were related to causes and symptoms.
- Most peaks in search volume corresponded to news of celebrities with disease.
- Most people uses search engines to obtain information on symptoms.
- News on celebrities with multiple sclerosis influence online search behavior.

ObjectiveMillions of people worldwide use the Internet daily as a source of health information. Google is the most popular search engine and is used by patients and physicians to search for online health-related information. This study aimed to evaluate changes in Web search behavior occurring in English-speaking countries over time for the term “multiple sclerosis” (MS).MethodsUsing Google Trends, data on global search queries for the term “multiple sclerosis” between January 2004 and December 2013 were analyzed.ResultsOver time there was a reduction in tendency to search for the term “multiple sclerosis”. Most terms associated with the search queries for MS were related to causes and symptoms (including pain) of the disease, and most peaks in search volume over the period studied corresponded to news of celebrities having MS.ConclusionsMost people appear to use search engines to look for MS to obtain information on symptoms, possibly to aid initial self-diagnosis. News on celebrities with MS seem to be a major factor that influences online search behavior.