According to research published in JAMA pediatrics and reported by Science Daily, addressing snoring and breathing difficulties with a simple nasal spray might cut the number of children who require tonsils removed in half.
A saline (salt water) nasal spray was just as effective as an anti-inflammatory steroid nasal spray in reducing symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing in children after six weeks of therapy. Â
Both nasal sprays were proven effective in lowering symptoms while sleeping in around 40% of instances, and the number of cases where a surgeon proposed removal of the tonsils and adenoids were cut in half. The sprays were tested in a randomized controlled “MIST” study at Australia’s Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Children’s Hospital, which included 271 children aged three to twelve. Â
Tonsillectomies are the most prevalent type of elective pediatric surgery in Australia, with over 40,000 done yearly. Children’s snoring surgery is common, but it is expensive, painful, and depletes hospital resources.
Dr. Alice Baker of Murdoch Children’s Hospital said that the typical wait period for tonsillectomy in Victoria’s public health system is over a year, so individuals are seeking other options to stop snoring. She also emphasized that some children may have their tonsils and adenoids removed without need. Â
As per Dr. Baker, nasal sprays are helpful because they clean the nose and reduce inflammation not just in the nose but down the back of the throat to the adenoids and tonsil tissue, reducing symptoms. Snoring and other sleep-related respiratory issues affect roughly 12% of children and can severely affect their cognitive development, social behavior, and cardiovascular health. Â
According to Murdoch Children’s Associate Professor Kirsten Perrett, the study results show that a significant percentage of children with sleep-disordered breathing may initially not require professional treatment.
Her claim that “a considerable number of children who snore and have breathing issues may be adequately treated by their primary care physician utilizing a six-week intranasal saline spray as a first-line therapy” is accurate. Â
Some authors also mentioned, “using this cheap and easily accessible medicine would improve the quality of life of these children, reduce the demand for expert services, minimize surgical waiting times, and reduce hospital expenditures.” Â
Graham, a co-author, stated that after participating in the trial, his son Thomas, then seven years old, ceased snoring and did not require tonsil removal. When Thomas began snoring at three, his parents were concerned that he might require corrective surgery.”
His doctor advised him to have his tonsils removed before participating in the trial. He immediately stopped his difficult breathing using a nasal spray, which must have been an enormous relief.”Â
