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Does anticonvulsant treatment influence pain perception in epileptic children?
Pietro Ferrara1, Giorgia Bottaro, Silvia Angeletti
1Department of Pediatric Sciences, A. Gemelli University Hospital, Rome, Italy. pferrara@rm.unicatt.it
Background:
The aims of our study were to evaluate pain perception in epileptic children and to establish the influence of anticonvulsant drugs on pain perception.
Methods:
The study involved 40 children, 30 with epilepsy and 10 healthy control subjects. In the group of epileptic children, 10 were not treated and 20 assumed a single drug. From all children of each group, one sample of saliva was collected through a noninvasive device 15 minutes before (t0), during (t1), and 15 minutes after (t2) blood withdrawal, and salivary α-amylase activity was then determined.
Results:
No statistically significant difference was found at t0 and at t1, indicating that in both groups venipuncture equally induced a state of stress. Conversely, at t2 a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0195) was found, suggesting that epileptic children presented a greater sensitization to pain and a slower recovery from stress. Comparing furthermore data obtained in children with epilepsy not treated with those registered in treated ones, we found a statistically significant difference at t0 (p = 0.012), at t1 (p = 0.037), and at t2 (p = 0.011).
Conclusions:
Anticonvulsant drugs do not seem to influence pain perception and enzymatic activity levels in epileptic patients.
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