By Brian S. Alper, MD, MSPH, and Colin P. Kopes-Kerr, MD, MPH, JD

Also called Common cold, upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), acute rhinitis, acute nasopharyngitis, acute rhinosinusitis ICD-9 codes 460 acute nasopharyngitis (common cold) 465.0 acute laryngopharyngitis 465.8 acute upper respiratory infections (URIs) of other multiple sites 465.9 acute URIs of unspecified site Incidence Average U.S. adult has two to four colds per year; average schoolchild has…