Management of chronic pain in children

To describe the demography, clinical characteristics, treatment, functional limitations and outcomes of patients referred to a paediatric multidisciplinary pain clinic.

Prospective data collection, descriptive study.

Tertiary referral centre pain clinic (Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne) over two years (March 1998 - March 2000).

Pain profile; functional disability (school absenteeism, sleep disturbance and inability to perform sport); treatments received; outcome.

207 patients (mean age, 13.1 years; 73% females; 29% rural residents) were referred in the two years. Concomitant medical conditions were present in 106/207 (51%) patients, the commonest being cerebral palsy or spasticity (22 patients) and malignancy (18). Complex regional pain syndrome was diagnosed in 44 patients. Functional disability due to pain included school absenteeism (95% of school attenders), sleep disruption (71% of all patients) and inability to perform sport (90% of those able to participate in sport previously). Of the 105 patients who missed five or more days of school because of pain, 93 attended school regularly after treatment. Sleep disturbance improved in 129/146 (88%) patients, and 129/147 (88%) resumed sporting activity after multidisciplinary intervention. Outcome was classified as good in 134 patients (65%), moderate in 32 (15%) and poor in 16 (8%).

Chronic pain in children and adolescents often results in considerable functional disability. Functional improvement can be achieved using a multidisciplinary approach to pain management in children.