A look into the most searched health condition in SA. Picture: Supplied
One of the main places to find information about medical conditions and symptoms is now “Dr Google”.
Compare the Market, a comparison service known for offering an independent and impartial comparison for different services, analysed Google Trends data to identify the top three most sought medical problems in 155 countries around the world.
Diabetes was the most common condition, appearing in the top three rankings for 57 of the 155 countries.
It was the most searched for in Australia, Bahrain, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, and the Bahamas. In the United Kingdom, it was the second most searched condition.
Cancer was the second most searched Google condition worldwide, occurring in 50 of the 155 nations.
It is reported that cancer was the most searched for health condition in Armenia, Burkina Faso, Guyana, Pakistan, Portugal, Rwanda, and Togo.
The searched phrase “pain” came in third place, with the top three results in 39 different nations.
It was the most prevalent condition in countries such as Andorra, Bangladesh, Ghana, Jamaica, Moldova, Nepal, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
HIV, blood pressure, diarrhoea, malaria, and headaches were among the other ailments that were often looked for. The results for the top 10 conditions are displayed in the table below.
According to Lana Hamilton, head of Health Insurance at Compare the Market, there are many classifications and service kinds that fall under the purview of private health insurance in Australia. Each will provide benefits for particular medical issues.
The most-searched health conditions by several countries include:
Diabetes - 57
Cancer - 50
Pain - 39
HIV - 36
Blood pressure - 24
Diarrhoea - 21
Malaria - 18
Headache - 16
Herpes - 16
Influenza - 15
“Diabetes is an example of where private health insurance isn’t always straightforward.
“Hospital insurance policies can include ‘Diabetes Management’, but this doesn’t include ‘insulin pumps’, which fall under their own separate clinical category. This makes it really important to navigate health insurance carefully to ensure your policy suits your specific needs,” Hamilton said.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za