Public interest in platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapies for hip and knee osteoarthritis in Türkiye: a Google Trends analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64575/ewhbb183Keywords:
Google Trends, platelet-rich plasma, stem cell, knee osteoarthritis, hip osteoarthritis, TürkiyeAbstract
Background: This study aimed to quantify public interest in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections for hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Türkiye using the Google Trends (GT) tool, and to characterize temporal, seasonal, geographic, and regional trends across the country's seven geographic regions.
Methods: GT parameters were configured from January 2015 through December 2025, with geographic filtering restricted to Türkiye (geo=TR). Turkish-language search terms corresponding to PRP/knee, PRP/hip, stem cell/knee, and stem cell/hip OA were queried. Relative search volume (RSV) data were retrieved and analyzed using linear regression models. Seasonal means, city-level comparisons, and regional analyses across Türkiye's seven geographic regions were performed.
Results: PRP-related searches demonstrated a significant linear increase across all models (R²=0.93–0.94; p < 0.001), with the PRP·Knee model exhibiting the steepest growth slope (+6.31 RSV/year). Conversely, stem cell searches declined following a 2015–2016 peak (R²=0.87–0.89). Seasonally, October represented the peak month for search interest, while January marked the trough. Geographically, the Marmara Region recorded the highest PRP RSV (94), and Eastern Anatolia the lowest (45). Western Türkiye demonstrated a 1.7-fold higher mean PRP RSV compared to Eastern Türkiye.
Conclusions: Public interest in PRP is rising steadily across Türkiye, whereas interest in stem cell therapy is declining, likely reflecting regulatory restrictions and an expectation-evidence gap. These findings provide actionable data for patient counseling, shared decision-making, and the prioritization of future clinical research.
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