Winter peaks in web-based public inquiry into epistaxis

PURPOSE: Epistaxis represents the most frequent ear, nose, throat-related emergency symptom. Seasonal variation in epistaxis incidence, with peaks during winter months, is widely accepted, although the literature itself remains inconclusive. The objective of this study was to evaluate public inquiry into nose bleeding, by considering Google-based search query frequency on “Epistaxis”-related search terms and to assess possible seasonal variations globally. METHODS: Epistaxis-related search terms were systematically collected and compared using Google Trends (GT). Relative search volumes for the most relevant epistaxis-related terms, covering a timeframe from 2004 to 2019 were analysed using cosinor time series analysis for the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. RESULTS: Graphical representation revealed seasonal variations with peaks during winter months in the majority of countries included. Subsequent cosinor analysis revealed these variations to be significant (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Public interest in seeking epistaxis-related information through the Internet displayed seasonal patterns in countries from both hemispheres, with the highest interest during winter months. Further studies exploring causality with environmental factors are warranted. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00405-020-05915-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.