United States – OTC medications such as nasal sprays might be a powerful tool in combating a significant health issue — antibiotic resistance, says a study.
Significant Symptom Relief
A review of their study of nearly 14,000 adults concluded that standard nasal spray can assist in preventing upper respiratory tract infections, thereby decreasing the rate of antibiotic prescriptions, as reported by HealthDay.
Some bacterial infections become hard to treat due to antibiotic resistance by their overuse and misuse.
“If widely used, these [nasal spray] interventions could potentially have a valuable role for reducing antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance, and in reducing the impact of respiratory viruses for patients,” said study co-author Adam Geraghty, an associate professor of psychology and behavioral medicine at the University of Southhampton in England.
A new study published on July 11 in the Lancer Respiratory Medicine journal stated that the new over-the-counter nasal sprays lessened the number of days that people had severe upper respiratory symptoms. The number of sick days declined by approximately 20%.
Researchers admitted they were intrigued by the new findings indicating that instituting nasal irrigation, which involves using nasal sprays to irrigate virus bits from the nose and throat, or immune enhancement strategies, including exercise and stress reduction, could slow down the incidence and severity of respiratory infections.
They enrolled 13,800 patients from 332 general practices in the U.K. All were people with a current condition, a risk factor for this infection, or a history of frequent respiratory infections. They were divided into three groups, and the grouping was random.
Effective Intervention Strategies
In one team, the subjects were administered with a gel-based nasal spray that utilizes a microgel to impound and inactivate viruses in the nasal passage to contain them before they reach a bigger scale. The second is a saline-based nasal spray, which can lower the levels of viruses in the upper part of the throat behind the nostrils. The third group was instructed to be directed to the website with a focus on exercise and stress.
Each of the interventions reduced antibiotic use as well as the number of days that manifested severe symptoms. The two sprays also resulted in a net reduction of sick time by 20%, though participants did not use the sprays as frequently as was recommended.
Overall, lost days of work/normal activity fell by 20% to 30%, compared with just 5% in the stress management-only group, as reported by HealthDay.
“Our results show nasal sprays work well to reduce the duration and severity of respiratory infections and the interference with normal activities,” study co-author Paul Little, professor in primary care research at the University of Southampton, said in a university news release.