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Salt water mist better for cystic fibrosis: study

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 17:31 CST

By Gene Emery

BOSTON (Reuters) - Mists of inhaled salt water can reduce the pus and infection that fills the airways of cystic fibrosis sufferers, although side effects include a nasty coughing fit and a harsh taste.

That's the conclusion of two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine and released on Wednesday.

They found that inhaling a mist with a salt content of 7 or 9 percent improved lung function and, in some cases, produced less absenteeism from school or work.

Cystic fibrosis, a progressive and frequently fatal genetic disease that affects about 30,000 young adults and children in the United States, is marked by a thickening of the mucus which makes it harder to clear the lungs of debris and bacteria.

The salt water solution "really opens up a new avenue for approaching patients with cystic fibrosis and how to treat them," said Gail Weinmann of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, which sponsored one of the studies.

In a Journal editorial, Felix Ratjen of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, cited several unpleasant side effects of the salt mist treatment including a bad taste, coughing fits and the lengthy 30 minutes it can take to administer.

He added that in one of the studies, patients may not have received the best long-term antibiotic treatment. That would make the inhaled salt water mist appear more effective than it would have been if people were getting a better drug, he said.

That study, led by Mark Elkins of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, found that the 83 volunteers who regularly inhaled a 7 percent mist of salty water had fewer breathing problems and less absenteeism from school or work than those who inhaled a solution with a salt content of under 1 percent.

"Adding salt (and water) to the airway surfaces of patients with cystic fibrosis is beneficial" for both children and adults, they concluded.

All of the patients first inhaled a chemical to try to open their lung passages as much as possible.

In the second study, Scott Donaldson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues found that a 7 percent salt mist "produced a sustained acceleration of mucus clearance and improved lung function" because it helped hydrate the lungs.

Weinmann said limitations inherent to the treatment mean a salt water mist "may be just a first step" in treating cystic fibrosis.

Source: REUTERS

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