Study finds saltwater nasal drops treat cold in children quicker, recovery two days sooner

New study finds saline water nasal drops to reduce cold symptoms early in children, and mitigates the risk of other family members falling sick.

A new study revealed groundbreaking findings that can change cold treatment procedures in children. Hypertonic saline nasal drops prepared from salt water reduce the duration of cold in children. It is simple, affordable, and effective in alleviating cold symptoms quickly. As children suffer from colds frequently, this noteworthy nasal drop will help bring relief and ease the recovery process.

Cold affects the entire family

The researchers explained that kids tend to come down with colds often, getting over 10-12 upper respiratory tract infections, more commonly known as colds in a year. It not only affects the child but also impacts the family’s health. Cold symptoms are contagious, causing the other family members to also fall sick. While there are existing medicines like paracetamol or ibuprofen, there are no treatments to lower the duration of the cold. With a longer recovery time, other family members, especially those who are tending to the sick child are likely to catch cold from the child.

Saline nasal drops reduce cold by 2 days

However, this study found saline nasal water promising in treating colds. Saltwater nose drops reduce the cold symptoms and the recovery from the cold takes place within 6 days, while with the usual treatment, the symptoms lasted till 8 days. The saltwater nasal drop reduced the cold by 2 days.

By shortening the duration of the cold, the transmission of the infectious symptoms was limited in the family. The children who received saltwater nose drops required fewer medications. As per the study’s participants, only 46% of the families using the drops reported that other members of the household caught the child’s cold. This is a major, groundbreaking finding when it is compared to 61% of families who followed conventional cold treatment methods. It lowered the spread of illness in the household and prevented the disruption of regular household activities.

How does the nasal drop work?

The nasal drop is made from salt water. Professor Cunnigham elaborated on the efficiency of saltwater in the research. He said, “Salt is made up of sodium and chloride. Chloride is used by the cells lining the nose and windpipes to produce hypochlorous acid within cells, which they use to defend against virus infection. By giving extra chloride to the lining cells this helps the cells produce more hypochlorous acid, which helps suppress viral replication, reducing the length of the virus infection, and therefore the duration of symptoms.” Saltwater boosts the body’s natural defense mechanism. It’s the same reason why saltwater is used for gargling for sore throats and many parts of several traditional remedies in South Asia.