Investigating the epidemiological relevance of secretory otitis media and neighboring organ diseases through an Internet search
Cheng Guo,
Linlin Pan,
Ling Chen,
Jinghua Xie,
Zhuozheng Liang,
Yongjin Huang,
Long He
Affiliations
Cheng Guo
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Linlin Pan
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Ling Chen
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Jinghua Xie
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Zhuozheng Liang
Intensive Care Unit, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China
Yongjin Huang
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Long He
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Background This study examined the epidemiological correlations between secretory otitis media (SOM) and diseases of neighboring organs. We measured changes in disease incidences during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic using Internet big data spanning from 2011 to 2021. Methods This study used the Baidu Index (BI) to determine the search volume for the terms “secretory otitis media (SOM)”, “tonsillitis”, “pharyngolaryngitis”, “adenoid hypertrophy (AH)”, “nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)”, “nasal septum deviation (NSD)”, “rhinosinusitis”, “allergic rhinitis (AR)”, and “gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)” in Mandarin from January 2011 to December 2021. The correlations between these terms were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients. The results were compared search data from 2019 and 2021 to assess the effects of isolation on SOM in 2020. Results The seasonal variations trends of SOM and other diseases coincided well (P 0.05). The total search volumes for SOM, rhinosinusitis, NPC, and AH decreased in 2020 compared to 2019. Discussion SOM exhibited a discernible epidemiological connection with rhinosinusitis, nasal septal deviation (NSD), tonsillitis, pharyngolaryngitis, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A decrease in public gatherings was observed to effectively reduce the incidences of SOM. This underscores the pivotal role of social measures in influencing the prevalence of SOM and emphasizes the intricate interplay between SOM and various associated health factors, with implications for public health strategies.
