每年,儿童感冒约 6-8 次,成人感冒 2-4 次。[2]Fry J, Sandler G. Common diseases. Their nature, prevalence and care. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic; 1993.[3]Tupasi TE, de Leon LE, Lupisan S, et al. Patterns of acute respiratory tract infection in children: a longitudinal study in a depressed community in Metro Manila. Rev Infect Dis. 1990 Nov-Dec;12(suppl 8):S940-9.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2270416?tool=bestpractice.com[4]Cruz JR, Pareja G, de Fernandez A, et al. Epidemiology of acute respiratory tract infections among Guatemalan ambulatory preschool children. Rev Infect Dis. 1990 Nov-Dec;12(suppl 8):S1029-34.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2270400?tool=bestpractice.com[5]Kvaerner KJ, Nafstad P, Jaakkola JJ. Upper respiratory morbidity in preschool children: a cross-sectional study. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000 Oct;126(10):1201-6.http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/405408http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11031406?tool=bestpractice.com[6]Witek TJ, Ramsey DL, Carr AN, et al. The natural history of community-acquired common colds symptoms assessed over 4-years. Rhinology. 2015 Mar;53(1):81-8.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25756083?tool=bestpractice.com与儿童接触的成人较非接触者感冒次数更多。[7]NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Common cold. August 2016 [internet publication].http://cks.nice.org.uk/common-cold 在西方国家,上呼吸道感染、鼻塞、咽喉不适和咳嗽占到全科医师咨询量的 11%。[2]Fry J, Sandler G. Common diseases. Their nature, prevalence and care. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic; 1993.普通感冒是美国最常见的急性疾病,每年由感冒导致的门诊就诊次数约为 3,700 万 (3%)。[8]Harris AM, Hicks LA, Qaseem A. Appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infection in adults: advice for high-value care from the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Mar 15;164(6):425-34.http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2481815http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26785402?tool=bestpractice.com 一项美国研究发现,23.6% 的成人曾经在被调查之前的 4 周内患过感冒。[9]Bramley TJ, Lerner D, Sames M. Productivity losses related to the common cold. J Occup Environ Med. 2002 Sep;44(9):822-9.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12227674?tool=bestpractice.com
不同性别和种族人群的发病率差异不大。多数感染发生在冬季。也有人认为导致夏季与冬季感冒的病毒可能是不同的。[7]NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Common cold. August 2016 [internet publication].http://cks.nice.org.uk/common-cold 疾病具有高度传染性,会导致严重的误工与误学。目前还不清楚主要的传播方式是通过手的接触、人与人之间的气溶胶、或含感染性病原体的气溶胶污染口腔黏膜(例如吃饭)。
虽然感冒会引起明显的不适、误工误学及医疗费用支出增加,但感冒引起的死亡是罕见的。[9]Bramley TJ, Lerner D, Sames M. Productivity losses related to the common cold. J Occup Environ Med. 2002 Sep;44(9):822-9.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12227674?tool=bestpractice.com