Each week, we identify one top search term, speculate as to what caused its popularity, and provide an infographic on a related condition. If you have thoughts about what's trending and why, feel free to share them with us on Twitter or Facebook!
Clinical Trend of the Week (May 26 – June 1): Spider Bites
This week's top search term crawled its way up the rankings for rather expected reasons. As warmer weather spreads across the United States, outdoor activities bring more people in contact with spiders. Because most spider bites are not significantly harmful to humans, one entomologist recently argued to avoid killing them. His defense is that the creepy creatures do more good than harm, trapping pests that are more dangerous to humans (such as the disease-spreading mosquito). The "good press" for spiders recently also included a tribute to the world's oldest known spider, who was given the catchy name "Number 16" and died at age 43 years. Despite the positive PR, spider bites remain a common worry, with some estimates approaching 150,000 emergency room visits annually. Although most patients simply need reassurance, searches for information about these typically harmless injuries will probably remain popular throughout the summer months.
For more information on medically significant spider bites, read here.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Ryan Syrek. Trending Clinical Topics for May 2018 - Medscape - Jun 01, 2018.
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