A recent study involving almost 14,000 adults suggests that readily available nasal sprays are effective in shortening the impact of colds, flu, and other respiratory infections. “Effective, low-cost, non-prescription interventions are needed to reduce symptom burden and antibiotic use.” The authors said that the fact a saline rinse had the same effectiveness as a gel-based nasal spray suggested that the benefits observed were likely not due to the ingredients but due to the act of washing out the nasopharynx, which reduced the viral load.
The study was conducted to discover the effectiveness of nasal sprays, as well as physical activity and stress management, compared to other methods of overcoming respiratory illnesses. The researchers concluded that those methods not only reduced the duration of the infections, but also cut back the use of antibiotics as remedies. Mr.
Little, the overall leader of the trial, said the results are especially important to consider during the winter months, when there is a surge in infection rates. “Our analysis suggests that the benefits were even greater when people used the sprays more often — we advised six times a day at the first sign of a cold — but many people in the study did not use the spray that often,” she said. Upon joining the study, participants were recommended to use the spray six times daily with two sprays in each nostril after potential exposure to infection.
However, most participants did not comply and still reaped benefits. There were 13,799 adult participants, recruited from the practices of 332 primary care physicians in the UK. They were randomly selected to be treated with one of the sprays or to follow a regimen from an online resource promoting physical activity and stress management.
Another group was randomly selected to receive usual care, which was brief advice about managing illness. The participants who were steered to activity and stress management instead of the spray medication enjoyed just a 5 percent improvement in their time of return to health. However, the researchers said in their release that “this cost-effective option could have a significant impact on population terms given how easy it is to provide online advice to the general public.
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