Seasonality of cellulitis: evidence from Google Trends

Seasonality of cellulitis: evidence from Google Trends Xin Zhang,1 Shuangsuo Dang,1 Fanpu Ji,1 Juanjuan Shi,1 Yaping Li,1 Mei Li,1 Xiaoli Jia,1 Yueqiang Wan,2 Xiongxiong Bao,3 Wenjun Wang1 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710004, China; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Tuberculosis Hospital of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an 710100, China; 3School of Science, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China Introduction: According to our clinical experience, cellulitis is common in summer; however, very few studies have mentioned this trend. Methods: Using Google Trends, we analyzed the monthly data of Google searches for “­cellulitis” from 31 countries on 6 continents. Results: Seasonality explained 34%–92% of the variability in search volume, with peaks occurring in summer months. Conclusion: The analyses offered new insights into the epidemiology of cellulitis on national and international scales. Clinical data are needed to validate the Internet search data. Keywords: cellulitis, Internet search, seasonality