Subject: Vapo Rub WARNING
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=3D20565
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(Ivanhoe Newswire) --
A new study shows Vicks VapoRub, a popular cold and cough treatment,
may create respiratory problems ...there is not a lot of data to
show the ointment offers any clinical benefit. VapoRub currently
comes with a warning that it should not be used on children under
two years of age; but, researchers were interested in studying the
compound after an infant was brought into the emergency room to be
treated for respiratory problems after VapoRub was applied under her
nose.
They used ferrets as their subjects because of their close airway
anatomy to humans.
Results show VapoRub increases mucus secretion in both normal and
inflamed airways. It also slows the speed at which mucus is cleared
from the trachea...
SOURCE: Chest, 2009:135;143-148
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http://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/medicine.php
Press Release: BEGIN QUOTE Public release date: 13-Jan-2009
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Popular cold and cough
treatment may create respiratory distress in young children
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. --
New research out of Wake Forest UniversityBaptist Medical Center
suggests that Vicks¨ VapoRub¨, the popular menthol compound used to
relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may instead create
respiratory distress in infants and small children.
The study appears in this month's issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed
journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, and reports
thatthe product may stimulate mucus production and airway
inflammation,which can have severe effects on breathing infants or
young children because of the small size of their airways. "The
ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce
more mucus to protect the airway," said Bruce K. Rubin, M.D., lead
author of the study and a professor in the department of pediatrics
at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest Baptist.
"Infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than
those of adults, so any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow
them more severely." Vicks(r) VapoRub(r) was first compounded in
1891, in Greensboro. It was introduced in 1905 with the name Vick's
Magic Croup Salve. The flu epidemic of 1918 increased sales from
$900,000 to $2.9 million in justone year and Procter & Gamble has
since marketed the product as "The only thing more powerful than a
mother's touch." The salve is widely used to relieve symptoms of
colds and congestion,but there are few data supporting an actual
clinical benefit, according to Rubin. Vicks has been reported to
cause inflammation in the eyes,mental status changes, lung
inflammation, liver damage, constriction of airways and allergic
reactions.
Interest in conducting the study developed after Rubin and
colleagues treated an infant who was taken to the emergency room
after developing severe respiratory distress following the
application of Vicks directly under her nose.
Researchers sought to determine the effect of the product on the
respiratory system using ferrets, which have an airway anatomy and
cellular composition similar to humans. The team conducted tests on
healthy ferrets and ferrets that had tracheal inflammation
(simulating a person with a chest infection) that measured the
effects of Vicks on mucus secretion and buildup in the airways, and
fluid buildup in the lungs.
Results showed that Vicks exposure increased mucus secretion in both
normal and inflamed airways. In addition, the studies showed that
exposure to the product decreased the rate by which mucus was
cleared from the trachea.
The findings support current product labeling, which indicates the
product should not be used on children under 2 years of age.
However,many parents continue to use Vicks on their sick children,
often rubbing the salve on the feet or chest,
Rubin said. "I recommend never putting Vicks in, or under, the nose
of anybody --adult or child," Rubin said. "I also would follow the
directions andnever use it at all on children under age 2.
" Even when directions are followed, Vicks will make people with
congestion more comfortable, but it does nothing to increase
airflowor actually relieve congestion, Rubin added. "Some of the
ingredients in Vicks, notably the menthol, trick thebrain into
thinking that it is easier to breathe by triggering a cold
sensation, which is processed as indicating more airflow," he
said. "Vicks may make you feel better but it can't help you breathe
better." In addition to Vicks¨ VapoRub¨, decongestants are not
recommended foryoung children. "Mucus is one of the most effective
ways that our body protects our air passages like the nose and
bronchial tubes," Rubin said. "However, lots of mucus and
inflammation can cause congestion, especially in little noses.
Cough and cold medicines and decongestants are dangerous and neither
effective nor safe for young children. Medications to dry up nasal
passages also have problems," Rubin said. "The best treatments for
congestion are a bit of saline (salt water) and gentle rubber bulb
suction, warm drinks or chicken soup, and, often, just letting
thepassage of time heal the child." Dr. Rubin also notes that if a
child is struggling to breathe, it is a medical emergency and would
require the child to be seen by a doctor as quickly as possible.
: Co-researchers for the study were Juan Carlos Abanses, M.D., and
Shinbu Arima, M.D., both of Wake Forest University Baptist
MedicalCenter.
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