A new Australian study has found that a simple saline nasal spray could help many children breathe and sleep better, potentially avoiding the need for surgery and specialist care.
Researchers at Monash University, Monash Children's Hospital's Melbourne Children's Sleep Centre, in collaboration with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Royal Children's Hospital, have shown that a daily saline nasal spray can be highly effective in relieving symptoms of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (OSDB).
OSDB, also known as obstructive sleep apnoea, is a condition where the upper airway becomes partially or fully blocked during sleep, leading to pauses in breathing. It is a common cause of poor sleep, snoring, behavioural problems and other health impacts in children.
Obstructive sleep-disordered breathing affects up to 12 per cent of children and is the leading reason for tonsil and adenoid removal in Australia. The study's findings suggest that many children could first try a simple, low-cost option before seeing a specialist.
The large clinical trial, known as MIST+, involved 150 children aged 3 to 12 years who had been referred to specialists for sleep-related breathing difficulties. The children first received a six-week course of saline spray. Remarkably, nearly one in three children improved with saline nasal spray alone, with their symptoms resolving completely.
Children who still had symptoms were then randomly assigned to receive either a steroid nasal spray or continue with saline for another six weeks. The results showed no difference between the two treatments. Over 12 weeks, 50 per cent of the children had recovered - avoiding the need for specialist care and surgery.
Lead author of the MIST+ study and Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Specialist at Monash Children's Hospital and the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University, Adjunct Clinical Professor Gillian Nixon, said the findings will help doctors manage the large numbers of children with sleep-related breathing problems, potentially reducing the long waiting lists for specialist care.
"We know how important sleep is for the health and development of kids, and we now understand that a simple saline nasal spray could be key to unlocking good sleep," Adjunct Clinical Professor Nixon said.
"Available at your local chemist, saline nasal sprays alone can make a real difference for many children to sleep better without the need for steroid sprays or surgery, which come with a higher chance of potential side effects, costs, and longer recovery time."
"This is great news for parents and families. With the guidance of your GP, families should consider saline for 12 weeks to help resolve common symptoms associated with obstructive sleep apnoea before turning to specialist care and surgery."
The MIST+ study was supported by the Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation.
