There is growing evidence that saline nasal drops and sprays are effective in treating the common cold

Saline nasal sprays appear to help speed up cold recovery: In a new study, children who were given the homemade nasal spray recovered from cold symptoms like sneezing and stuffy nose two days faster than those who weren’t.

There are over 200 different viruses that cause cold-like symptoms, making it difficult to develop general, effective treatments that target them. As a result, most cold treatments only relieve symptoms but do not shorten the duration of symptoms.

But research increasingly suggests that saline may be the exception: Studies have found that adults who use saline nasal drops or sprays for their colds experience fewer symptoms, recover faster, and are less likely to spread infection.

Now, Steve Cunningham and his colleagues at the University of Edinburgh in the UK have tested this method on children. Parents of 150 children with cold symptoms were asked to place three drops of saline solution into their children’s nostrils at least four times a day, starting within 48 hours of symptoms appearing and until symptoms subside. The water-based solution that the parents mixed themselves contained 2.6 percent salt.

Another group of 151 children received standard cold care from their parents, such as prescribing over-the-counter medicines and encouraging rest. All of the children were under the age of seven, and their symptoms were recorded by their parents.

The researchers found that children who started using the drops within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms recovered two days faster than those who never used the drops, and their families were also less likely to develop cold symptoms. But children who started using the drops later didn’t get better and were less likely to spread the cold than those who never used the drops.

Cunningham, who will present his findings at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Vienna, Austria, on September 8, says that the chloride ions in saline could prompt cells to produce an antiviral substance called hypochlorous acid, though this may need to be started early in infection, before the virus can take hold, he says.

But William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee is skeptical that the approach will actually help cure viral infections. “I’d like to see more convincing evidence that this is an antiviral effect, rather than just a symptomatic treatment,” Schaffner said.

Schaffner says the researchers could have also given another group of children regular water drops or a low-concentration saline solution, which would show whether the saline nasal spray targets the virus and speeds recovery or simply keeps mucous membranes moist to ease symptoms, he says.