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Honey versus diphenhydramine for post-tonsillectomy pain relief in pediatric cases: a randomized clinical trial
Soroush Amani1, Soleyman Kheiri2, Ali Ahmadi3
1Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences , Shahrekord, Iran .
Insights
This study found that honey and diphenhydramine provided similar pain relief after tonsillectomy in children. While pain decreased over time in all groups, neither intervention showed a significant advantage over observation for managing post-tonsillectomy pain.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pain Management
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Tonsillectomy is a common pediatric surgical procedure.
- Effective pain management is crucial for post-operative recovery and oral intake.
- Conventional pain relief options include acetaminophen and diphenhydramine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of honey versus diphenhydramine in alleviating pain following tonsillectomy in children.
- To evaluate the impact of honey as a potential analgesic agent in pediatric post-tonsillectomy care.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial involving 120 children aged 5-12 years undergoing tonsillectomy.
- Four groups were established: honey, 50% honey solution, diphenhydramine, and a control group.
- Pain severity was assessed using a validated questionnaire at multiple time points post-surgery.
Main Results:
- A significant decreasing trend in pain scores was observed across all groups over the 24-hour study period.
- No statistically significant differences in pain levels were detected among the honey, diphenhydramine, and control groups.
- The rate of pain reduction was comparable across all treatment arms.
Conclusions:
- Honey may contribute to pain reduction after tonsillectomy, but its effectiveness requires further investigation.
- Current findings suggest no significant difference in pain relief between honey, diphenhydramine, and no intervention in the immediate post-tonsillectomy period.
Introduction:
Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries done worldwide and often the first one a child sustains. Pain relief after tonsillectomy is helpful for oral feeding after surgery. Acetaminophen and diphenhydramine have been conventionally used for reducing pain. This study was conducted to compare the effect of honey and diphehydramine on pain relief after tonsillectomy.
Materials And Methods:
For this randomized clinical trial study, 120 patients of 5 to 12 years undergoing tonsillectomy were recruited. The patients were divided into four groups randomly. After tonsillectomy and beginning of eating, Group A took 5cc honey alone every hour, Group B was given 5 cc 50% honey (mixed with water) every hour, group C was treated with 1mg/kg diphenhydramine every 6 hours and group D was observed without any intervention. In all patients, severity of the pain was evaluated by ocher questionnaire at recovery, and 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours after surgery. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and the repeated measures ANOVA (SPSS version 17).
Results:
The repeated ANOVA showed a significant decreasing trend of pain scores during the study for both pain scales (p <0.05), but the rate of trend was similar between the four groups (p > 0.05). No statistically significant difference in pain was detected among the groups.
Conclusion:
Although honey can help the pain decrease, more research is supported for confirmation of this effect.
