Cross-National Differences in Online Search Behavior for Urological Symptoms and Conditions: An Infodemiological...

This study aimed to comparatively examine digital search behaviors related to urological symptoms and conditions in Türkiye, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan using Google Trends data.

This cross-sectional, observational digital epidemiology study analyzed weekly web search data from the past five years obtained via the Google Trends platform. Ten urological conditions were evaluated: kidney stones, benign prostatic hyperplasia, dysuria, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, varicocele, testicular pain, infertility, and penile curvature. Mean Google Trends scores were used for cross-country comparisons, while country-specific digital search profiles were normalized to reflect relative distributions. Searches related to kidney stones were additionally analyzed for seasonal variation. K-means clustering analysis was applied to identify similarities in digital search profiles across countries.

Kidney stones were identified as the urological condition with the highest digital search interest in all countries, with increased search activity observed during the summer months. Benign prostatic hyperplasia and dysuria were among the most frequently searched conditions across all countries. Searches related to reproductive and sexual health showed considerable variation between countries. Clustering analysis revealed that the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom shared similar digital search profiles, whereas India and Japan formed a distinct cluster. Türkiye demonstrated a profile broadly similar to Western countries but with partial divergence.

Digital search behaviors related to urological symptoms and conditions exhibit heterogeneous patterns across countries. Google Trends data may serve as a complementary tool for assessing population-level urological health awareness.