Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • BJGP LIFE
  • MORE
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • eLetters
    • Alerts
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Librarian information
    • Resilience
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers

User menu

  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
British Journal of General Practice
Intended for Healthcare Professionals
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in
  • Follow bjgp on Twitter
  • Visit bjgp on Facebook
  • Blog
  • Listen to BJGP podcast
  • Subscribe BJGP on YouTube
Intended for Healthcare Professionals
British Journal of General Practice

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • BJGP LIFE
  • MORE
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • eLetters
    • Alerts
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Librarian information
    • Resilience
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
Letters

Steam inhalation treatment for children

MA Akhavani and RHJ Baker
British Journal of General Practice 2005; 55 (516): 557.
MA Akhavani
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
RHJ Baker
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Nasal inhalation of steam has been proposed as treatment of viral colds on the assumption that increased intranasal temperature will inhibit replication of rhinovirus.1 Some clinical trials looking at the effect of inhalation of steam on rhinovirus infection have used machine-generated heated humidified air.2 Most people at home use the old fashioned way of head over a bowl of steaming hot water.

During January 2005, three children were assessed in our burns unit following scalds with steam inhalation. All were under the age of 5 years. Two children had burns to the feet as a result of kicking the hot bowl of water. The other child had burns to the chest as a result of water spilling from the bowl. The total body surface area of the burn ranged from 1–3% superficial partial thickness and none of them required hospital admission. The parents of all three children claimed they were advised by their GP to use steam inhalation for symptomatic relief.

There is insufficient evidence in the literature to support the use of steam inhalation as a treatment. A Cochrane review of the use of heated, humidified air for the common cold found only three trials demonstrated beneficial effects on the symptoms of the common cold.3 Other studies have shown steam inhalation has no effect on viral shedding as well as a failure to improve symptoms.2,4

The number of scalds in children has risen over the last three decades according to a Welsh study.5 Scalds also remain the most frequent type of paediatric burn admissions in Denmark where majority are due to hot beverage spillage.6 Murphy et al have reported seven cases of burns needing admission, caused by steam inhalation treatment for the common cold. In their report, two of the parents claimed they were advised by their GP to use steam inhalation treatment.7 The patients in our series were fortunate not to have sustained more extensive burns. However the morbidity of the pain and distress, possibility of wound infection, parental anxiety and several trips to the dressing clinic can not be ignored.

Scalds from steam inhalation treatment are entirely avoidable. It is perhaps time to start discouraging patients from using this form of home remedy, as there appears to be no significant benefit from steam inhalation. GPs are in prime position to educate parents on how to care for their coryzal child and avoid the risky business of steam inhalation therapy.

  • © British Journal of General Practice, 2005.

REFERENCES

  1. ↵
    1. Tyrrell D,
    2. Barrow I,
    3. Arthur J
    (1989) Local hyperthermia benefits natural and experimental common colds. BMJ 298(6683):1280–1283.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  2. ↵
    1. Hendley JO,
    2. Abbott RD,
    3. Beasley PP,
    4. Gwaltney JM Jr.
    (1994) Effect of inhalation of hot humidified air on experimental rhinovirus infection. JAMA 271(14):1112–1113.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  3. ↵
    1. Singh M
    (2004) Heated, humidified air for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2):CD001728.
  4. ↵
    1. Forstall GJ,
    2. Macknin ML,
    3. Yen-Lieberman BR,
    4. Medendrop SV
    (1994) Effect of inhaling heated vapour on symptoms of the common cold. JAMA 271(14):1109–1111.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  5. ↵
    1. Eadie PA,
    2. Williams R,
    3. Dickson WA
    (1995) Thirty-five years of paediatric scalds: are lessons being learned? Br J Plast Surg 48(2):103–105.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  6. ↵
    1. Sheller JL,
    2. Thuesen B
    (1998) Scalds in children caused by water from electrical kettles: effect of prevention through information. Burns 24(5):420–424.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  7. ↵
    1. Murphy SM,
    2. Murray D,
    3. Smith S,
    4. Orr DJ
    (2004) Burns caused by steam inhalation for respiratory tract infections in children. BMJ 328(7442):757.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
Back to top
Previous ArticleNext Article

In this issue

British Journal of General Practice: 55 (516)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 55, Issue 516
July 2005
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Or,
sign in or create an account with your email address
Email Article

Thank you for recommending British Journal of General Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person to whom you are recommending the page knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Steam inhalation treatment for children
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from British Journal of General Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from British Journal of General Practice.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Steam inhalation treatment for children
MA Akhavani, RHJ Baker
British Journal of General Practice 2005; 55 (516): 557.

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Steam inhalation treatment for children
MA Akhavani, RHJ Baker
British Journal of General Practice 2005; 55 (516): 557.
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Mendeley logo Mendeley

Jump to section

  • Top
  • Article
    • REFERENCES
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF

More in this TOC Section

  • GPs’ understanding of the wider workforce in primary care
  • 2020 vision? A retrospective study of time-bound curative claims in British and Irish newspapers
  • Verschlimmbesserung
Show more Letters

Related Articles

Cited By...

Intended for Healthcare Professionals

BJGP Life

BJGP Open

 

@BJGPjournal's Likes on Twitter

 
 

British Journal of General Practice

NAVIGATE

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • All Issues
  • Online First
  • Authors & reviewers

RCGP

  • BJGP for RCGP members
  • BJGP Open
  • RCGP eLearning
  • InnovAiT Journal
  • Jobs and careers

MY ACCOUNT

  • RCGP members' login
  • Subscriber login
  • Activate subscription
  • Terms and conditions

NEWS AND UPDATES

  • About BJGP
  • Alerts
  • RSS feeds
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

AUTHORS & REVIEWERS

  • Submit an article
  • Writing for BJGP: research
  • Writing for BJGP: other sections
  • BJGP editorial process & policies
  • BJGP ethical guidelines
  • Peer review for BJGP

CUSTOMER SERVICES

  • Advertising
  • Contact subscription agent
  • Copyright
  • Librarian information

CONTRIBUTE

  • BJGP Life
  • eLetters
  • Feedback

CONTACT US

BJGP Journal Office
RCGP
30 Euston Square
London NW1 2FB
Tel: +44 (0)20 3188 7400
Email: journal@rcgp.org.uk

British Journal of General Practice is an editorially-independent publication of the Royal College of General Practitioners
© 2022 British Journal of General Practice

Print ISSN: 0960-1643
Online ISSN: 1478-5242