Babies and infants at risk from popular cold remedy
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.
Researchers say 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,” says Bruce K Rubin, MD, 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® VapoRub® 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.
His interest in conducting the study developed after he 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 says. “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.”
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,” Rubin says. “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.” He says the best treatments for congestion is a drop of saline (salt water) and gentle rubber bulb suction, warm drinks or chicken soup. “Often it’s also a case of just letting the passage of time heal your 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.
The study appears in the January issue of
Chest, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.