Assessing the national burden of allergic asthma by web-search data, pollen counts, and drug prescriptions in Germany and Sweden

BACKGROUND: Asthma and its main phenotype allergic asthma are prevalent, chronic, and complex diseases affecting 4% of the population. One main trigger for allergic asthma exacerbations is pollen. Online health information search behavior by people is increasing, and analysis of web-search data can provide valuable insight into disease burden and risk factors of a population. OBJECTIVES: We sought to perform a web-search data analysis and correlation to climate factors and pollen in 2 European countries. METHODS: We analyzed the national web-search volume for allergic asthma-related keywords in Germany and Sweden from 2018 to 2021 and correlated it to local pollen counts, climatic factors, and drug prescription rates. RESULTS: Per capita, more searches were conducted in Sweden than in Germany. A complex geographic stratification within the countries was observed. Search results were seasonal with a peak in spring and correlated with pollen counts in both countries. However, anti-asthmatic drug prescription rates in Sweden, as well as temperature and precipitation in both countries, did not correlate with search volume. CONCLUSION: Our analysis offers population-level insights about this complex disease by reporting its needs and establishing the correlation to pollen counts, which enables a targeted approach in the public health management of allergic asthma. Local pollen counts, as opposed to temperature or precipitation, might be good predictors of allergic asthma disease burden.

• • Sitaru, S.