Can OTC nasal sprays relieve colds and flu and cut out antibiotic use?

It could be a powerful weapon against a major threat to public health — antibiotic resistance, researchers say.

Their analysis, which looked at data from nearly 14,000 adults, found that regular nasal sprays can help keep upper respiratory infections at bay, reducing the need for antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance resulting from overuse and misuse of these drugs makes bacterial infections difficult to treat.

"If used a lot, these [nasal spray] The intervention could play an important role in reducing antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance, and in reducing the impact of respiratory viruses on patients," said Adam Geraghty, co-author of the study. in studies, professor of psychology and behavioral therapy at the University of Southampton in England.

The new study, published on July 11 The Lancet Respiratory MedicineJournal, found that the use of over-the-counter nasal sprays reduced the number of people with upper respiratory symptoms. Sick days are down about 20%.

The researchers said that their interest is due to recent evidence that shows that using nasal sprays to clear viruses from the nose and throat, or strengthening the immune system through exercise and stress management, can reduce the frequency of respiratory diseases.

They recruited 13,800 patients from 332 medical practices in the UK. Both had pre-existing health problems, possible infections or a history of recurrent respiratory infections. They were randomly divided into three groups.

One group received a gel-based nasal spray, which uses microgels to trap and remove viruses from the nose. to prevent them from spreading. The second received a saline-based nasal spray, which reduces the level of the virus in the upper part of the throat behind the nose. The third group turned to online resources promoting physical activity and stress management.

All three interventions reduced antibiotic use and the number of days with severe symptoms. Both shots reduced overall pain time by 20% even though participants did not use them as often as directed.

There was a 20% to 30% reduction in work days and normal activities lost, compared to 5% in the group that received only stress management.

"Our results show that nasal sprays work well in reducing the duration of respiratory infections, and the disruption of normal activity," said Paul Little, a professor of primary care research at at the University of Southampton, in a university news release. .

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