Global internet search trends related to gastrointestinal symptoms predict regional COVID-19 outbreaks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Real-time surveillance of search behavior on the internet has achieved accessibility in measuring disease activity. In this study, we systematically assessed the associations between internet search trends of gastrointestinal (GI) symptom terms and daily newly confirmed COVID-19 cases at both global and regional levels.

Methods

Relative search volumes (RSVs) of GI symptom terms were derived from internet search engines. Time-series analyses with autoregressive integrated moving average models were conducted to fit and forecast the RSV trends of each GI symptom term before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Generalized additive models were used to quantify the effects of RSVs of GI symptom terms on the incidence of COVID-19. In addition, dose-response analyses were a

SUBMITTER: Ben S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8625285 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature