Constipation, hair loss, bad breath: these are the symptoms we are most ashamed of

Diarrhea, constipation, hair loss and bad breath are the most “embarrassing” problems of the French, who do not dare to talk to their doctor about them. And they turn to online health information for cures and solutions.

A new survey ranked the most searched symptoms on Google, especially to avoid going to the doctor. Among the problems most “embarrassing” Sought after in France, there are diarrhea, constipation, hair loss, bad breath, vaginal dryness or itching, excessive sweating, cloudy urine and anal itching (see table below).

Diarrhea is the most searched symptom in the world, with a monthly average of 1,088,970 searches on Google. Then come anxiety and dizziness (see table below).

With covid-19, the number of people who searched “loss of taste and smell” increased by 733%. In France, diarrhea (74,000), constipation (49,500) and otitis (49,500) are the most frequent searches.

Based on the average number of monthly searches over the past 12 months, the study looked at a wide range of symptoms, ranging from visible infections such as “bruising tendency” and the “redness of the eyes”, to internal symptoms such as “constipation” and the “ringing in the ears”.