The aim of this paper is to characterize the prevalence of nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness and indicate the factors associated with the presence of this disturbance in the general population, documented in the literature, published after 1961. The nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness is a main clinical feature of bronchial asthma, but it also can occur in the course of other diseases, respiratory and cardiovascular. It can also develop as a transient disturbance in healthy subjects. Manifestation of symptoms of bronchial hyperresponsiveness is associated with genetic predisposition and develops as the consequence of exposure to environmental factors. Examination of nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness is used in the clinical diagnostic of bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases and in epidemiological studies concerning the natural history of bronchial asthma in the population. Simple methods assessing the bronchial hyperreactivity in the epidemiological studies are the very valuable part of research protocol and should be used more widely than are used now.