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A Preterm Rat Model for Pain Studies
Published on: February 9, 2024
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Neonatal Invasive Procedures Predict Pain Intensity at School Age in Children Born Very Preterm
Beatriz O Valeri1, Manon Ranger, Cecil M Y Chau
1*Department of Neurosciences and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil †Child & Family Research Institute ‡Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
|January 20, 2016
Summary
Neonatal pain exposure, including invasive procedures and surgeries, impacts pain perception in very preterm children at school age. Psychosocial factors like parent anxiety also influence later pain ratings.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Pain Research
Background:
- Children born very preterm exhibit altered pain thresholds.
- Limited understanding exists regarding neonatal clinical and psychosocial factors influencing later pain perception in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the number of neonatal invasive procedures and later pain self-ratings in very preterm children.
- To adjust for other clinical and psychosocial factors in this association.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up of 56 very preterm children (24-32 weeks gestational age) until 7.5 years.
- Pain assessment using Coloured Analog Scale and Facial Affective Scale during venipuncture.
- Prospective data collection on pain exposure (invasive procedures) and clinical factors; parental questionnaires for psychosocial factors.
Main Results:
- Increased neonatal invasive procedures correlated with higher self-reported pain intensity at age 7.5.
- Higher parent trait-anxiety was associated with increased pain intensity.
- Fewer surgeries and lower child externalizing behaviors were linked to higher pain intensity.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal pain exposure is independently related to altered pain self-ratings in very preterm children at school age.
- Neonatal surgeries and concurrent psychosocial factors also influence pain ratings in this cohort.
