New research suggests that saline nasal drops can reduce the length of the common cold in children by 2 days, according to a press release from the European Respiratory Society. The trial included 407 children up to 6 years old who were either given hypertonic saline nasal drops or usual care when they developed a cold. Parents were instructed to apply 3 saline drops per nostril, a minimum of 4 times per day, until the child felt better for the 150 subjects in the saline nasal drops group. Meanwhile, 151 children had usual care. Those treated with saline drops had cold symptoms for an average of 6 days, and those with usual care had symptoms for 8 days. The authors found using saline nasal drops can also reduce transmission of the virus to household members with fewer households saying that family members got sick: 46% of households when kids were given saline drops; and 61% for those with usual care.
How it works: The drops provide additional chloride to the lining of the cells in the child’s nose, which helps the cells produce more hypochlorous acid that can suppress viral replication, according to the release.
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