Nasal sprays could be the key to halting a common cold or flu before it takes hold – and a health study suggests early intervention can ward off full-blown symptoms and accelerate recovery. Findings from nearly 14,000 adults reveal that over-the-counter gel and saline sprays cut the duration of illness from sinus and chest infections, flu and colds by approximately 20%.
The research showed better results for people who administered the sprays roughly six times per day. Furthermore, those who chose nasal sprays were less prone to requiring antibiotics compared to those who remained with conventional treatment, the study discovered. This breakthrough points to an affordable and simple approach to ward off serious respiratory infections, reports the Mirror.
Professor Paul Little, a primary care research expert at the University of Southampton and head of the study, said: “Given these results, our advice, particularly for those at higher risk from infections or those who get recurrent infections, is at the first sign of cough, sore throat, cold or flu-like symptoms, use a nasal spray to prevent it from developing fully, and to use the sprays preventatively after close exposure to people with infections.”
In a study supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, scientists recruited 13,799 patients from 332 GP practices.
These participants were either currently managing health conditions, had previously suffered respiratory infections, or were deemed high-risk.
The volunteers were randomly assigned to use either a Vicks-First-Defence gel-based nasal spray, a saline solution nasal spray, or access an online platform created to help those with respiratory ailments through exercise and stress management.
The research showed that, compared to standard NHS guidance on handling respiratory illnesses, the nasal sprays cut absenteeism from work or daily activities by up to 30%.
Meanwhile, the online resource concentrating on stress and exercise only achieved a modest 5% reduction in infection rates, the scientists observed.
Prof Little remarked: “Our results show nasal sprays work well to reduce the duration and severity of respiratory infections, and the interference with normal activities, which is particularly important in light of the winter infection surge the UK regularly experiences.”
He also emphasised a crucial finding, saying: “The important finding of a reduction in the use of antibiotics is also potentially very important in the fight against antibiotic resistance, one of the major public health threats of our time.”
Lucy Yardley, a professor of health psychology at the Universities of Bristol and Southampton who led the nasal spray segment of the research, highlighted: “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.”