STRESS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS--THE EFFECT OF PROLONGED HOSPITALIZATION

Long-term hospitalization emotionally impacts any patient, especially children, and is defined as a long period of time during which the patient is hospitalized and experiences isolation from his or her family, friends and home. Stressful situations trigger a nonspecific response that involves multiple physiological mechanisms. Currently, because of the complexity of these mechanisms, there are no laboratory markers that allow the quantification of the stress intensity felt by the patient. Laboratory determinations currently used in evaluating the response to stress are neuroendocrine, immunological and metabolic. The neuroendocrine system is the first to respond to stressful events. Stress stimulates the hypothalamus, leading to the release of CRH, which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce ACTH. Chronic stress directs the synthesis towards cortisol, which may lead to hypo secretion of the other adrenal steroid hormones. The hospital and the disease are stressors for children and caregivers, since stress can interfere with the normal development of young patients, affecting them in the long term. Admitting a child to hospital means interrupting his or her normal daily life and changing the environment that is familiar to him or her. Therefore, the involvement of the family doctor is very important, as many conditions can be solved by visiting his or her office and thus eliminating the need for hospitalization in a pediatric hospital. If, however, the nature of the condition requires that the child should be seen by a pediatrician, the period of hospitalization should not be much extended so as to prevent the appearance of other possible problems that might influence the child's state.