Saline sprays are often used as an alternative to irrigations because spray "is often perceived to be equivalent to and better tolerated than irrigation," the researchers note. But the effectiveness of sprays has not been proven in clinical trials.
Among the 121 adults in this study - all of whom have chronic nasal and sinus symptoms - 60 were treated for eight weeks with saline irrigation and 61 were treated with saline spray. The severity of their symptoms was measured with the 20-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test, and the frequency of symptoms was measured with a questionnaire.
The irrigation group's average score on the severity test had dropped (improved) by more points than the spray group's average at intervals of two weeks, four weeks and eight weeks (4.4 points out of 100 lower at two weeks, 8.2 points lower at four weeks, and 6.4 points lower at eight weeks).
Frequency of symptoms also improved in both groups, though more for the irrigation group. While 61 percent of the spray group reported having symptoms "often or always" after the eight-week study, just 40 percent of the irrigation group did.
"It's clear from our results that both treatments led to a decrease in frequency and severity of symptoms, but the difference is that the salt water flush led to substantial improvement," Pynnonen says.
Both groups experienced adverse effects, with more reported in the irrigation group. Most were minor, however, and none required that the treatment be stopped. The most commonly reported adverse effect was post-treatment drainage.
"One of the greatest benefits of the nasal irrigation we are using is that it is very cheap and very safe," Pynnonen says.
In addition to Pynnonen, authors of the study were Jeffrey E. Terrell, M.D. and Meredith E. Adams, M.D., of the U-M Department of Otolaryngology; H. Myra Kim, Sc.D., of the Department of Biostatistics and the Center for Statistical Consultation and Research at the U-M School of Public Health; and Shraddha S. Mukerji, M.D., of Texas Children's Hospital.
Financial support was provided by NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, which had no role in design or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis or interpretation of the data; or in the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript. NeilMed Pharmaceuticals manufactures Sinus Rinse, the saline product.
Reference: Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Vol. 133, No. 11, Nov. 2007.
I remember there used to be nasal irrigation shops, just like barber shops, but I think the health authorities drove them out of business. When I fist visited Hot Springs, Arkansas, back in the 60s, there were colonic irrigation shops, now none. Now they're all replaced by healthy topless clubs, tattoo parlors, and crackhouses. This is a fine Democrat controlled town. Where the main drag has signs that say, "No Street Solicitations Between 4 & 6 pm on Race Days".
The most famous event in Hot Springs' history was the all day shoot-out between the police department and the sheriff's department. The sheriff won. He killed the police chief. They were fighting over graft turf. Republican Gov Winthrop Rockefeller shut down all the illegal casinios. Now, all we have is horse races and prostitution. The laws have been changed to allow video poker at the racetrack.
Nasal Irrigation - Study Results
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