Burden of neurological diseases in the Philippines as revealed by web searches: an infodemiological study

Background: Due to the real time acquisition of big data from the internet, analysis of Google queries is now recognized as a valuable tool to explore and predict human behavior and interests. It has been suggested that online data can be correlated with actual health data. Although the data is not structured nor systematic, the huge data from search engines can easily identify frequencies and trends on diseases and other health concepts from a population perspective. Moreover, internet data with the use of web search advertising nowadays may not only reveal the interest of the general population but also the interests of healthcare industry as reflected by the bid prices in search terms for medications. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to analyze the searches related to neurological diseases and nervous system drugs in the Philippines. We analyzed the monthly search volumes from Google, the most commonly used search engine in the country, and the bid prices in the web search advertising to infer the interests of the general population and the healthcare industry respectively. Methods: Data used in this study was obtained from the Google Ads Application Programming Interface (API). This study evaluated the population’s interest in neurological disorders by using the search volumes related to neurology, either disease diagnosis or medications, as this can be a good proxy for the interest of the general population. Bid values generated in API was used as a proxy for the interests of the healthcare industry. Results: Among the neurologic diseases listed, the most searched were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease. ADHD has been one of the most popular health-related hashtag in social media, hence making it the most searched neurologic disease despite not being in the most prevalent diseases in the 2019 global burden of neurological disorders. The most commonly searched drugs were medications for secondary stroke prevention such as oral antihypertensives (amlodipine, losartan, carvedilol), lipid-lowering agents (atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin), and antiplatelets (acetylsalicylic acid, clopidogrel). Other most searched drugs were analgesics such as acetaminophen, tramadol, diclofenac, and morphine. Conclusion: Web searches may reflect the interest of the general population and the healthcare industry and may be influenced by the frequency or social impact of the disease.