ELVIS Kids study finds using salt water nasal drops can shorten cold symptoms in children by two days, reducing illness duration and helping prevent transmission within families. Image A recent study, conducted by ELVIS Kids (Edinburgh and Lothian Virus Intervention Study in Kids), has found that administering salt water nasal drops to children could significantly reduce the duration of cold symptoms. The study, presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Vienna, involved 407 children up to six years old.Children treated with saline solution experienced cold symptoms for an average of six days, compared to eight days in children who received standard care. This reduction in symptom duration also correlated with a decreased likelihood of other family members catching the cold.The findings are promising. Using salt water nasal drops not only shortened the duration of illness but also reduced the need for other medications, benefiting the entire household by facilitating a quicker return to normal activities.Professor Steve CunninghamAffiliate member at the Usher Institute and member of the ELVIS Kids randomised controlled trial teamCurrently, the saline solution used in the study is not commercially available and must be prepared by parents at home. The team plans to release instructional materials to assist parents in preparing the solution safely and effectively.The study has garnered positive feedback from parents, with 82% reporting that the nasal drops helped their child recover faster. Future research may explore enhanced formulations to further mitigate cold symptoms and transmission.The study was led by Dr Sandeep Ramalingam, with Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh and Professor Steve Cunningham among those on the team. It was managed by the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit at the Usher Institute.Further informationRead The Times article onlineFind out more about the ELVIS Kids study Tags 2024 Publication date 16 Sep, 2024
