Internet searches about rare disease spike after 'Stranger Things' season releases

Popular media can be a good way to raise awareness of health issues, and new research finds that the Netflix show "Stranger Things" may have helped people become more familiar with the rare disease known as cleidocranial dysplasia. The disease, which affects the development of bones and teeth, affects 1 in every 1 million people around the world. One of the show's actors, Gaten Matarazzo III, has the condition, and his character, Dustin Anderson, talks with his friends on the show about CCD to help them learn more. Looking at Google search trends, researchers found that searches for CCD increased increased by nearly 95% in the week after the season 3 release, with previous season releases seeing searches increase by between 11%-13%. AboutKidsHealth, a health education website, also saw website views for their CCD page increase from 5-80 views per week to 10,000 after the release of season 3 of "Stranger Things."