Google search for 'chest pain' soar to record high amid coronavirus pandemic

Online searches for 'chest pain' have soared to a record high amid the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, fewer people are going to the emergency department with acute heart problems, according to a report.

Researchers from Mayo Clinic analysed Google Trends data and found that search for "chest pain" was at record high amid the pandemic. The healthcare company, reviewed search terms, such as "chest pain", and "heart attack" at Google trends data of the US, UK, Italy, and Spain.

According to a study published in JMIR Cardio, it was found that at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, searches for "myocardial infarction" or "heart attack" dropped, while searches for "chest pain" rose to 34 per cent.

"This raises concern that people may have either misconstrued chest pain as an infectious symptom or actively avoided getting care due to COVID-19 concerns," Conor Senecal, MD, a Mayo Clinic cardiology fellow in Rochester said.

The searches of other coronavirus-related symptoms, such as "cough" and "fever" spiked initially but then dropped off. The searches related to "chest pain," however, stayed at a high volume through May.

Additionally, searches like 'home remedies for chest pain' and 'natural remedies for chest pain' -- saw more than 41 times increase amid the pandemic, Dr Senecal added.

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