Medicare HealthPlans looked into what medical conditions people are searching for the most on Google.
They found people in most states are googling symptoms that could be related to the cold and flu. The most googled symptom in one-fifth of states was stress.
Family medicine physician with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and UT Physicians Dr. Deepa Iyengar wasn’t surprised that Texans’ most googled medical question...is "nasal congestion".
“We do have a very high rate of allergy rhinitis, which is exposure to pollen and allergens in the air,” said Iyengar.
No matter what part of Texas you live in, most likely you are an allergy sufferer.
She said in the Houston area there's a high level of pollution in the air that's effecting the ozone levels.
“People come in with nasal congestion, thinking that it’s something that needs antibiotics or it’s a viral infection, but it’s actually related to allergies,” said Iyengar
She said humidity helps hold on to the pollen, and recommended to be mindful where you park and of the pollen collecting on cars.
Other states:
· Idaho is googling E.coli symptoms. This past year, they had an outbreak of the bacterial infection.
· Utah is googling morning sickness. The state has the second-highest number of babies born each year.
· New York is googling loss of sleep, in “The City That Never Sleeps.”
· Vermont is googling “sniffles.”
· Oklahoma is googling symptoms of the 2018 round of the flu will look like.
· South Carolina and Wisconsin is googling the color of their poop.
· South Dakotans is googling what the location of their headaches mean.
· Alaska is googling snoring.