Use of 'Cold-Reducing' Nasal Gels Tied to Permanent Loss of Smell
By Alyssa Sparacino Jul 19th 2010 4:00PM aolhealth.com
Categories: News
A new report suggests over-the-counter nasal gels used to prevent and treat cold symptoms may cause a loss of smell.
In the journal Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, doctors say after evaluating 25 patients and other related data, the likely culprit for their reduced sense of smell was zinc gluconate, used in popular nasal gels.
Products like Zicam, which promote the prevention and treatment of symptoms from the common cold, are used by wiping a gel containing zinc gluconate inside the nasal passages, but study authors doubt its effectiveness.
"The efficacy of this intervention is questionable, with a recent structured review demonstrating insufficient evidence to support any therapeutic effectiveness of zinc," they write. "Multiple trials have found that intranasal zinc is ineffective in preventing or reducing the duration of the common cold."
Dr. Terence Davidson, professor of surgery and director of the Nasal Dysfunction Clinic at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine says zinc does nothing to suppress the common cold.
"It's totally psychological," he tells AOL Health. "When the gel is inserted into the nose, it gives you a little bit of a burn, so it has a nice psychological feel to it. That's why it's ended up becoming popular."
Debra DiBartolo, AOL Health's nursing specialist, says preventing a cold really comes down to the basics like the importance of good hygiene and washing your hands.
"Sneezing or coughing in the crook of a bent arm also helps prevent you from giving your cold virus to someone else," she tells AOL Health. "But there is no guarantee that the person who used the phone, or touched the door knob or rested their hands on the counter at the coffee shop did the same thing."
Davidson says it's crucial to get some rest and relaxation and minimize others' exposure to your cold germs.
"At the first sign that you're getting a cold go home, drink a lot of fluid and rest," he tells AOL Health. "If you do that, whatever it is that you might have had will be a lot less."
Davidson along with Dr. Wendy Smith say that regardless of the success rate of nasal gels, there is still the concern about a permanent reduction or loss of smell.
The researchers used the Bradford Hill criteria, which assesses whether the environment has anything to do with causing disease, to analyze the results and eliminate other possible factors.
Their findings support the theory that the zinc found in nasal gels could cause a reduced sense of smell.
Other compounds such as ammonia and chlorine can also affect the sense of smell, and the authors suggest that a closer look into these over-the-counter cold treatments by the Food and Drug Administration is necessary to assure their safety.
"Very few people realize what it's like to lose their sense of smell, and this is the time for people to stop for a moment and see how much smell means to them," Davidson tells AOL Health. "It's Christmas, loved ones, pines trees and food. It's one of our most basic senses."
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