Google Data Reveals Most-Searched Health Issues Of 2013

The Health Issues You Searched For The Most In 2013
FILE - In this Tuesday, March 23, 2010 file photo, the Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels. On Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 the European Commission said it is launching a formal investigation into whether Google has abused its dominant market position in online searches. The EU's competition watchdog says Tuesday that the probe follows complaints from other online search providers that Google put them at a disadvantage in both its paid and unpaid search results. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, March 23, 2010 file photo, the Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels. On Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 the European Commission said it is launching a formal investigation into whether Google has abused its dominant market position in online searches. The EU's competition watchdog says Tuesday that the probe follows complaints from other online search providers that Google put them at a disadvantage in both its paid and unpaid search results. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

Here's your chance to be nosy and see what health issues people searched for the most this past year.

Google has released its 13th annual Zeitgest, showing the health topics people looked up the most on the search engine in 2013. Not surprisingly, conditions like cold and flu topped the chart (who didn't get sick this year, after all?). Check out the list below to see what else made the top 10 ranking.

1. Flu
Shutterstock
Perhaps it's not surprising searches for "flu" topped the ranking, considering there were 31.8 million influenza-associated illnesses during the 2012-2013 flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said in a recent report that there were 14.4 million influenza illnesses that required medical attention and 381,000 hospitalizations from influenza illness last flu season.
2. Cold
Shutterstock
Colds can be caused by a number of viruses, but the most common may be rhinovirus. Sore throat and runny nose are typical signs; colds differ from the flu in that flu symptoms include fever, muscle pain, sore throat and fatigue.
3. Labor
Shutterstock
4. Diarrhea
Shutterstock
Diarrhea can be caused by any number of things, but common triggers include viruses, bacteria or parasites (often from contaminated food or drink). Lactose intolerance and some medications can also lead to diarrhea.
5. Balance
Shutterstock
6. Diet
Shutterstock
Considering how much Americans spend on food -- $151 per week -- it makes sense that "diet" was so heavily searched on Google.
7. Back Pain
Shutterstock
Around eight in 10 people will experience back pain sometime in their lives, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
8. Allergies
Shutterstock
The Google ranking did not differentiate between food allergies or allergies from the environment, but either way, both forms widely affect people in the U.S. Climate Nexus reported earlier this year that this year's spring was an especially bad one for allergies. And a recent JAMA Pediatrics study showed that the cost of childhood food allergies is a whopping $24.8 billion every year (via special diets, lost work productivity and medical care).
9. Rash
Shutterstock
10. Lupus
BIOPHOTO ASSOCIATES via Getty Images
The cause of lupus, which is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting different parts of the body, is still a mystery today. As many as 1.5 million people in the U.S. have the condition, with 16,000 new cases being reported each year, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE