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 University
Baptist 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 that
the 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 just
one 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 and
never 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 airflow
or actually relieve congestion, Rubin added.

"Some of the ingredients in Vicks, notably the menthol, trick the
brain 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 for
young 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 the
passage 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 Medical
Center.

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Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 6212]