Today's Cold Is Still Common

No acute condition causes more missed work or school days than the common cold. This $60 billion problem affects approximately 85% of the US population at least once annually. Because the common cold is so common, few researchers have conducted large studies examining its impact on various aspects of daily living.

Now, a research team has filled in some knowledge gaps using a novel study design. The results of their Attitudes of Consumers Toward Health, Cough, and Cold (ACHOO) survey appeared in Current Medical Research & Opinion as an electronic publication ahead of print.

A panel of experts developed the 36-question study design, which relied on 2010 US Census data to develop a demographically representative sample. In October 2012, the experts randomly invited 3333 adult US Internet/mobile device users to participate in an online survey.

The participants provided information about their demographics, cough/cold symptom frequency and duration, symptom impact, treatment preferences, and knowledge about cough/cold pathophysiology. Most of the participants reported experiencing 1 or 2 colds annually, with 84.6% reporting at least 1 cold.

The participants validated what health care professionals already know: colds typically start with sore/scratchy throat (39.2%), nasal congestion (9.8%), and runny nose (9.3%). In the survey, participants reported that their colds lasted 3 to 7 days—a duration somewhat shorter than what has been identified in previous studies. More than one-third of patients believed that the common cold is a bacterial infection, and nearly as many reportedly thought that antibiotics are appropriate treatment.

Participants found nasal congestion and cough to be the most irritating of symptoms. Almost three-quarters of participants identified cough as their most common cold symptom, and most reported that it appeared between 1 and 5 days after cold onset. Cough tended to be the longest lasting symptom, lingering for more than 6 days in more than one-third of participants and up to 9 days in many participants.

Patients self-treated using OTC medications, basing their product selection on their perception of the product’s ability to relieve symptoms, safety, and past experience. However, 42.6% reported delaying treatment until their symptoms became quite bothersome, and approximately 20.2% delayed treatment until they experienced multiple symptoms. The majority (66.2%) preferred OTC products that addressed single symptoms.

More than three-quarters of participants had never received instructions from any health care professional on choosing a nonprescription cough/cold medication. Among those who asked for advice, less than half actually received recommendations.

The ACHOO survey results confirmed that the cold is a common, bothersome experience, and it identified knowledge gaps and opportunities to improve communication between health care professionals and patients.