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. 2021 Apr 8;5(2):456-465.
doi: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2021.02.010. eCollection 2021 Apr.

Temporal Trends and Interest in Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring Over Time: An Infodemiology Study

Omar Dzaye  1   2   3 , Philipp Berning  1 , Siegfried Adelhoefer  1   3 , Matthias Duebgen  3 , Ron Blankstein  4 , Mahadevappa Mahesh  2 , Khurram Nasir  5 , Roger S Blumenthal  1 , Martin Bødtker Mortensen  1   6 , Michael J Blaha  1
Affiliations

Temporal Trends and Interest in Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring Over Time: An Infodemiology Study

Omar Dzaye et al. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate interest in coronary artery calcium (CAC) among the general public during the past 17 years and to compare trends with real-world data on number of CAC procedures performed.

Methods: We used Google Trends, a publicly available database, to access search query data in a systematic and quantitative fashion to search for CAC-related key terms. Search terms included calcium test, heart score, calcium score, coronary calcium, and calcium test score. We accessed Google Trends in January 2021 and analyzed data from 2004 to 2020.

Results: From 2004 to December 31, 2020, CAC-related search interest (in relative search volume) increased continually worldwide (+201.9%) and in the United States (+354.8%). Three main events strongly influenced search interest in CAC: reports of a CAC scan of the president of the United States led to a transient 10-fold increase in early January 2018. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline release led to a sustained increase, and lockdown after the global pandemic due to COVID-19 led to a transient decrease. Real-world data on performed CAC scans showed an increase between 2006 and 2017 (+200.0%); during the same time period, relative search volume for CAC-related search terms increased in a similar pattern (+70.6%-1511.1%). For the search term coronary calcium scan near me, a potential representative of active online search for CAC scanning, we found a +28.8% increase in 2020 compared with 2017.

Conclusion: Google Trends, a valuable tool for assessing public interest in health-related topics, suggests increased overall interest in CAC during the last 17 years that mirrors real-world usage data. Increased interest is seemingly linked to reports of CAC testing in world leaders and endorsement in major guidelines.

Keywords: ACC, American College of Cardiology; AHA, American Heart Association; CAC, coronary artery calcium; CT, computed tomography; CVD, cardiovascular disease; RSV, relative search volume.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Worldwide and US-wide online search volumes for coronary artery calcium–related terms. Google Trends search volume index for (A) worldwide and (B) United States during the time period January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2020, for calcium test (orange), heart score (blue), calcium score (brown), coronary calcium (yellow), and calcium test score (bordeaux). Data are presented as 3-month moving average. (Search query on January 15, 2021.)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographic disparities in search volumes worldwide and in the United States for heart score. Google Trends relative search volumes for worldwide (upper panel) and US-wide (lower panel) searches for the term heart score in 2006, 2016, and 2020. Countries and US states are depicted as color-coded heatmaps as indicated by the legend (red to green). Countries and US states with unavailable search data are shown blank (white). (Search query on January 15, 2021.)
Figure 3
Figure 3
The US-wide online search volumes for coronary artery calcium–related terms with a focus on President Trump’s coronary artery calcium scan. Google Trends search volume index in the United States during the time period January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020, for (A) coronary calcium, (B) calcium score, (C) Trump coronary calcium, and (D) Trump calcium score. Peaks in all 4 boxes were observed in early January 2018. Data are presented as weekly, unadjusted data. (Search query on January 15, 2021.)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Impact of COVID-19 on relative search volume for coronary artery calcium–related terms. Google Trends search volume index in the United States during the time period January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, for calcium test (orange), heart score (blue), calcium score (brown), coronary calcium (yellow), and calcium test score (bordeaux). Data are presented as 3-week moving average. Dashed line indicates March 1, 2020, as a representative date for imposed lockdown measures throughout the United States. (Search query on January 15, 2021.)
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