A More Comfortable Method of Skin Prick Testing in Children Ages 0-2 to Decrease Symptoms of Pain

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
• Pain Management in Children
• Lactation and Infant Care

Background:

• Skin prick testing (SPT) is a primary diagnostic tool for allergies across all age groups.
• Assessing and managing procedural pain in pediatric patients is crucial.
• The potential benefits of breastfeeding for pain reduction during medical procedures are under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of recent breastfeeding on pain perception and crying in children aged 0-2 undergoing SPT.
• To determine if an additional breastfeeding session immediately before SPT can further mitigate pain and distress.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized, single-blinded study was conducted with 64 children aged 0-2 years requiring SPT.
• Participants were randomized into a control group (breastfed 30-90 min prior) and a study group (breastfed prior and immediately before SPT).
• The FLACC pain scale assessed pain, and crying duration was measured before, during, and after SPT.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in age, gender, or socio-demographic characteristics were observed between groups.
• The study group exhibited significantly lower FLACC pain scale scores compared to the control group (p < .001).
• A significantly lower percentage of children in the study group cried during SPT than in the control group (p = .002).

Conclusions:

• Recent breastfeeding, particularly when administered immediately before SPT, is associated with reduced crying in young children.
• This suggests that breastfeeding may effectively decrease the perceived pain associated with SPT in children aged 0-2.
• Breastfeeding offers a non-pharmacological method to improve the experience of pediatric allergy testing.