The Journal of family practice
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It is commonly believed that doctor's office visits for upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) occur too often given the self-limited nature of such illnesses. However, the frequency of visits for URTIs has not been well studied. We examined how often a large population of adults visited doctors when they had a cold, the degree to which they engaged in self care, and the characteristics of those seeking care. ⋯ The majority of adults do not visit a doctor when they have a cold, and most engage in self care. Illness severity, and its impact on patients and their families, seems to influence the decision to seek care.