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Long-term effects of pain in infants
F L Porter1, R E Grunau, K J Anand
1Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Insights
Early pain and stress in infants can cause acute reactions and may lead to permanent changes. Understanding these effects is crucial for sensitive medical care and healthy child development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental psychology
- Pediatric medicine
Background:
- Newborn infants, especially premature or critically ill ones, experience numerous painful and stressful medical events.
- These early life experiences can trigger significant physiological and behavioral responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence on the long-term effects of early life pain and stress in infants.
- To promote improved medical management for infants and children.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on early life pain and stress.
- Analysis of studies examining acute and potential long-term impacts.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests early pain and stress can induce not only immediate changes but also lasting structural and functional alterations in infants.
- These effects can impact overall growth and development.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive understanding of early life pain and stress is essential for healthcare providers.
- This knowledge can lead to more sensitive care, supporting healthy development in infants and children.
Abstract:
Pain and stress have been shown to induce significant physiological and behavioral reactions in newborn infants, even in those born prematurely. Infants who are born prematurely or seriously ill are commonly exposed to multiple painful and stressful events as part of their prolonged hospitalizations and required medical procedures. There is now evidence that these early events not only induce acute changes, but that permanent structural and functional changes may also result. This article reviews the growing body of evidence of likely long-term effects of early pain and stress on the human infant. It is hoped that a better understanding of this literature will promote more responsive and sensitive management of infants and young children during their encounters with the medical community and will ultimately facilitate the healthy growth and development of all children.