Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Current issue
  • ERJ Early View
  • Past issues
  • For authors
    • Instructions for authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Author FAQs
    • Open access
    • COVID-19 submission information
  • Alerts
  • Podcasts
  • Subscriptions
  • ERS Publications
    • European Respiratory Journal
    • ERJ Open Research
    • European Respiratory Review
    • Breathe
    • ERS Books
    • ERS publications home

User menu

  • Log in
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
  • ERS Publications
    • European Respiratory Journal
    • ERJ Open Research
    • European Respiratory Review
    • Breathe
    • ERS Books
    • ERS publications home

Login

European Respiratory Society

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Current issue
  • ERJ Early View
  • Past issues
  • For authors
    • Instructions for authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Author FAQs
    • Open access
    • COVID-19 submission information
  • Alerts
  • Podcasts
  • Subscriptions

What is the economic impact of preschool viral upper respiratory infection?

D.S. Urquhart, S.A. McKenzie
European Respiratory Journal 2004 23: 961; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.04.00001104
D.S. Urquhart
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
S.A. McKenzie
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

To the Editor:

In a previous issue of the European Respiratory Journal Stevens et al. 1 suggested that preschool children with wheeze account for a significant proportion of the UK healthcare budget. Most preschool wheezing is caused by viral infection and, therefore, we wondered how much preschool children with upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) without wheeze would cost the National Health Service?

On average, a preschool child will catch 6–8 URTIs per year 2, and 11% of children <14 yrs will be taken to their family doctor when unwell. These figures may be higher in younger children 3. If a child has six colds per year and is seen by a doctor for 11% of these infections, then, based on the 2.94 million UK preschool population estimate and a £16 consultation cost estimation 1, the primary care costs of viral URTI would be £31 million. This compares to the £34 million estimated by Stevens et al. 1 as the cost of preschool wheezing. Therefore, the additional cost burden of wheeze seems small.

We believe the villains are not wheeze and asthma but the respiratory viruses!

    • © ERS Journals Ltd

    References

    1. ↵
      Stevens CA, Turner D, Kuehni CE, Couriel JM, Silverman M. The economic impact of preschool asthma and wheeze. Eur Respir J 2003;21:1000–1006.
      OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    2. ↵
      Coughs and colds in children. www.prodigy.nhs.uk/clinicalguidance/releasedguidance/webBrowser/pils/PL43.htm.
    3. ↵
      Bruijnzeels MA, Foets M, van der Wouden JC, van der Heuvel WJ, Prins A. Everyday symptoms in childhood: occurrence and general practitioner consultation rates. Br J Gen Pract 1998;48:880–884.
      OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    PreviousNext
    Back to top
    View this article with LENS
    Vol 23 Issue 6 Table of Contents
    • Table of Contents
    • Index by author
    Email

    Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on European Respiratory Society .

    NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

    Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
    What is the economic impact of preschool viral upper respiratory infection?
    (Your Name) has sent you a message from European Respiratory Society
    (Your Name) thought you would like to see the European Respiratory Society web site.
    CAPTCHA
    This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
    Print
    Alerts
    Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
    Citation Tools
    What is the economic impact of preschool viral upper respiratory infection?
    D.S. Urquhart, S.A. McKenzie
    European Respiratory Journal Jun 2004, 23 (6) 961; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.04.00001104

    Citation Manager Formats

    • BibTeX
    • Bookends
    • EasyBib
    • EndNote (tagged)
    • EndNote 8 (xml)
    • Medlars
    • Mendeley
    • Papers
    • RefWorks Tagged
    • Ref Manager
    • RIS
    • Zotero

    Share
    What is the economic impact of preschool viral upper respiratory infection?
    D.S. Urquhart, S.A. McKenzie
    European Respiratory Journal Jun 2004, 23 (6) 961; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.04.00001104
    del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Technorati logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Connotea logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
    Full Text (PDF)

    Jump To

    • Article
      • References
    • Info & Metrics
    • PDF
    • Tweet Widget
    • Facebook Like
    • Google Plus One

    More in this TOC Section

    • Ethical obligations for supporting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Is high-dose glucocorticoid beneficial in COVID-19? Response to Correspondence
    • BALF lymphocytosis in chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis
    Show more Correspondence

    Related Articles

    Navigate

    • Home
    • Current issue
    • Archive

    About the ERJ

    • Journal information
    • Editorial board
    • Reviewers
    • CME
    • Press
    • Permissions and reprints
    • Advertising

    The European Respiratory Society

    • Society home
    • myERS
    • Privacy policy
    • Accessibility

    ERS publications

    • European Respiratory Journal
    • ERJ Open Research
    • European Respiratory Review
    • Breathe
    • ERS books online
    • ERS Bookshop

    Help

    • Feedback

    For authors

    • Instructions for authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • ERS author centre

    For readers

    • Alerts
    • Subjects
    • Podcasts
    • RSS

    Subscriptions

    • Accessing the ERS publications

    Contact us

    European Respiratory Society
    442 Glossop Road
    Sheffield S10 2PX
    United Kingdom
    Tel: +44 114 2672860
    Email: journals@ersnet.org

    ISSN

    Print ISSN:  0903-1936
    Online ISSN: 1399-3003

    Copyright © 2021 by the European Respiratory Society