Squirting a simple saline solution into the nose twice a day could alleviate chronic nosebleeds just as effectively as spraying with any one of three different medications, reports a study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Sept. 6.
"This research highlights that there could be a benefit even in the simplest of interventions," says corresponding author Kevin Whitehead, M.D., F.A.H.A., associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine and director of the Utah HHT Clinical Center. "No drug proved to be any better than the saline placebo, but the majority of patients improved over the course of treatment - even those using saline."
Participants reported a positive change regardless of which drug they used, or whether they misted their nose with placebo.
"The results suggest that medicines that people all over the world have used appear to have no benefit over plain saline," says Gossage.
The idea that simple hydration from any nasal spray, even saline, could prevent nosebleeds certainly makes sense, says Whitehead. People are at higher risk for nosebleeds when their nose dries out, for instance when they're in an arid climate for extended periods of time. Further, the most dreaded but proven remedy - surgically sealing shut the nose - effectively keeps the nasal cavity permanently moist.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2547755
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/uouh-sss083116.php