Simple saline drops found to reduce colds in children by DAYS — and reduce transmission

For parents, the cycle of coughing and sniffling that their young children experience seems endless.

A study has found that simple saline nose drops can shorten the duration of a cold in children by two days and reduce further transmission.

Researchers had noticed that saltwater solutions are commonly used in South Asia to treat colds. They wanted to see if this benefit could be replicated in a large-scale study.

A team from the University of Edinburgh recruited 407 children up to the age of six.

A total of 301 people caught a cold, 150 were given drops – which consist of a mixture of salt and water – and the others were given medicines such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

A team from the University of Edinburgh (pictured) recruited 407 children up to the age of six. A total of 301 came down with a cold, with 150 given the drops – which consist of a mixture of salt and water – and the others given medicines such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Parents were instructed to administer three drops per nostril at least four times a day.

The research, presented at the European Respiratory Society congress in Vienna, Austria, found that people who used the drops experienced symptoms for six days, while others were sick for eight days.

And fewer family members caught the child’s cold: 46 percent compared to 61.

Professor Steve Cunningham, one of the study’s authors, said the chloride in salt is used by cells in the nose and windpipe to produce hypochlorous acid, which the cells then use to defend themselves against viral infections.