THE BIGGEST health concerns of Bradford people have been revealed by a new survey.

Stomach ache, diabetes and high blood pressure top the worries as logged by Google Trends.

And Bradford’s searches about stomach ache topped the search lists for Yorkshire, according to Treated.com.

In Leeds, people searched about heartburn, measles, insomnia and chest infections while the biggest searches in Sheffield were for vaginal discharge, shingles and flu.

In the east of the county, York residents wanted to know about tonsillitis and diarrhoea and people living in Hull were concerned about pneumonia, anxiety, headache, indigestion and diabetes.

Bradfordians are not alone in searching about stomach aches as in the UK, the most searched query relates to stomach pain, with 1.5 million people searching ‘How to get rid of stomach ache?’ every month.

According to Dr Google, the top 22 health-related queries which are the most searched for in the UK, racked up a combined total of 19,238,000 searches every month. Pneumonia is a major concern, followed by diabetes, depression and endometriosis.

Treated.com says health anxiety is not a new issue but arguably has become more common with the rise of internet access in the UK, leading to what’s now known as ‘Cyberchondria’ - a form of hypochondria driven by checking online sources for health related information and advice.

Belfast and Plymouth top the tables for UK cities worrying the most about their health and the prospect of becoming ill. Belfast people search for pneumonia 2.2 million times a month while the biggest search in Plymouth was depression at 1.5m.

The study revealed that there 1.5 million searches for endometriosis each month, making it the fourth most searched medical query in the UK. Affecting 1 in 10 women who are at reproductive age - that equates to 1.5 million women across the UK so Treated.com say it is no wonder that so many people are looking for more information on endometriosis symptoms.

Those living in Liverpool were making the most searches about endometriosis, followed by Cardiff and Oxford.

Almost a third (27%) of the most searched health conditions in the UK could be classed as embarrassing illnesses; endometriosis, vaginal discharge, UTIs and diarrhoea.

Treated.com’s doctor, Dr Daniel Atkinson explained why people might be tempted to make an appointment with Dr Google before visiting their GP for these types of issues: “It’s possible that the nature of the symptom prevents someone from seeking help in person.

“More intimate problems (for instance to do with our sexual health or our toilet habits) can be hard to see a doctor in person about as it is, and even more so when bad news or potentially embarrassing examinations are a distinct possibility.”

With so many people searching their symptoms online, Dr Atkinson for some overall advice on how to make this as safe as possible:

“Try and anticipate how you will feel when researching symptoms online and how this is going to affect you. If you’re prone to worry, it might be an idea to avoid Googling symptoms until you’ve seen a doctor.”

“That said, if you do research your symptoms, it is probably helpful to jot down a few notes so that you remember to mention the things that are worrying you most when you have your consultation.”

“GPs would still prefer patients to come and see them over something which is potentially nothing, than be put off seeing them and risk not getting the treatment that they need - without question.”

  • Treated.com used search volume data from the Google Adwords Keyword Planner. Click here to read more