Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Online Interest in Erectile Dysfunction

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global health. During uncertain times, priorities amongst patients shifted as many faced health concerns, economic uncertainty, and isolation. Access to general medical care during 2020 was challenging for many Americans who spent the year in quarantine. Without access to care, we hypothesize that patients were less likely to search for treatment options for a non-emergent condition like erectile dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: Herein, we aim to report on Google search trends observed in the pre COVID and post COVID era. METHODS: Google Trends was analyzed using search terms related to erectile dysfunction between June 2018 and June 2021. The search volume index (SVI), a relative measure of search volume on Google, was obtained for the following terms: erectile dysfunction, viagra, trimix, penile pump, and penile implant. Student t test was used to compare changes in mean SVI for each month compared to the same month one year prior. RESULTS: Compared to one year prior, the search for erectile dysfunction remained relatively stable over time with the exception of three months (9% decline Mar 2020, 38% increase Jan 2021, 8% increase Jun 2021). When compared to the preceding year, searches for Viagra declined during 9/37 (24%) months analyzed including Mar-Jun 2020, which coincided with the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.05 for all). The only statistically significant increase occurred Oct 2020, a 16% change compared to Oct 2019 (p<0.05). In contrast, search for trimix did not change significantly over time except for an increase of 62% Mar 2021 and 60% Apr 2021 (p<0.05 for all). Search for the term penile pump did not change over time except for a 16 and 10% decline early during the pandemic, Feb and Mar 2020, respectively (p<0.05 for all). Lastly, search for penile implant declined 37% Mar 2020 and 32% Apr 2020 compared to 2019, and increased by 67% May 2021 compared to May 2020 (p<0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 represented a major global health crisis, raising concerns and uncertainties for many. Erectile dysfunction remained a constant source of online interest. Despite limited access to medical care for elective conditions, only a few isolated increases in Google SVI were noted, most of which occurred during 2021 compared to 2020. This may be a reflection of the general public's lack of familiarity with treatments other than phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. DISCLOSURE: No