title: The economic burden of non-influenza-related viral respiratory tract infection in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Viral respiratory tract infection (VRTI) is the most common illness in humans. Despite the high incidence, the economic impact of non-influenza-related VRTI has not been rigorously explored. Our objectives were to obtain an updated incidence of non-influenza-related VRTI in the United States and to quantify the health care resource use (direct costs) and productivity losses (indirect costs) associated with these infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationwide telephone survey of US households (N = 4051) was conducted between November 3, 2000, and February 12, 2001 to obtain a representative estimate of the self-reported incidence of non-influenza-related VRTI and related treatment patterns. Direct treatment costs measured included outpatient clinician encounters, use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs, and associated infectious complications of non-influenza-related VRTI. Absenteeism estimates for infected individuals and parents of infected children were extrapolated from National Health Interview Survey data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of survey respondents, 72% reported a non-influenza-related VRTI within the past year. Respondents who experienced a self-reported non-influenza-related VRTI averaged 2.5 episodes annually. When these rates are extrapolated to the entire US population, approximately 500 million non-influenza-related VRTI episodes occur per year. Similarly, if the treatment patterns reported by the respondents are extended to the population, the total economic impact of non-influenza-related VRTI approaches $40 billion annually (direct costs, $17 billion per year; and indirect costs, $22.5 billion per year).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Largely because of the high attack rate, non-influenza-related VRTI imposes a greater economic burden than many other clinical conditions. The pending availability of effective antiviral therapies warrants increased attention be paid to this common and expensive illness.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, 300 N Ingalls Bldg, Room 7E06, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0376, USA. amfen@umich.edu
authors.forename: A Mark
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fendrick
authors.forename: Arnold S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Monto
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nightengale
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarnes
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology