Impact of Colds Costs United States $39.5B Per Year in Lost Work Days, Inappropriate Care, Study Says

Costs related to the common cold total $39.5 billion per year in the United States, a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds, USA Today reports. The study, based on a 2001 telephone survey, found that 55% of the costs come from missed work, and inappropriate care, such as visits to the doctor and antibiotic prescriptions, account for the remainder of costs. Colds lead to 110 million physician visits and six million emergency room visits each year, researchers found. The prescription of antibiotics -- which are ineffective against viral infections like colds -- to treat colds costs more than $1.1 billion annually and contributes to antibiotic resistance, USA Today reports. A survey in this month's issue of Pediatrics finds that while respondents generally knew that viruses cause colds, more than half believed that antibiotics are necessary to treat them. While patients need to be better informed, doctors also share the responsibility for writing incorrect prescriptions for antibiotics, according to Mark Fendrick, lead author of the Archives of Internal Medicine study. Fredrick also said that people often believe they need to see a doctor if the cold lasts more than a few days; the average cold lasts more than a week. Doctors may write prescriptions for colds "just in case it's a bacterial infection" without realizing they are contributing to antibiotic resistance, Patrick Alguire, an internist with the American Society of Internal Medicine, said (Rubin, USA Today, 2/25). The study is available online.