Epidemiology
One of the most common conditions encountered in clinical practice. Acute bronchitis is among the most common adult outpatient diagnoses with approximately 100 million (10%) ambulatory care visits in the US each year.[3]Harris AM, Hicks LA, Qaseem A, et al. 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=2481815
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26785402?tool=bestpractice.com
In the UK, respiratory tract infections account for 300 to 400 consultations per 1000 patients annually.[4]Gulliford MC, van Staa T, McDermott L, et al. Cluster randomised trial in the general practice research database: 1. electronic decision support to reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care (eCRT study). Trials. 2011 May 10;12:115.
https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1745-6215-12-115
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21569237?tool=bestpractice.com
The highest incidence is in the autumn and winter.