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A More Comfortable Method of Skin Prick Testing in Children Ages 0-2 to Decrease Symptoms of Pain
Nazli Ercan1, Ilknur Bostanci1, Gülay Şenel1
1University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Recent breastfeeding before skin prick testing (SPT) significantly reduced crying and pain in young children. This simple intervention may help alleviate distress during allergy diagnosis in infants and toddlers.
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.
Background:
Skin prick testing (SPT) is the best initial diagnostic method for individuals of all ages who have potential allergies.
Aim:
We aimed to investigate if recent breastfeeding has any effect on reducing the pain of children before SPT.
Design:
Prospective, randomized, single-blinded study.
Settings:
Academic hospital specialized in pediatrics.
Participants/Subjects:
Sixty-four out of seventy-five children requiring SPT within ages 0-2 were included.
Methods:
All participants in this study were breastfed children, and that group assignment randomized them to the control group (n = 32) if children breastfed 30-90 min. prior to arriving for SPT, and study group of children (n = 32) who were also breastfed 30-90 minutes prior to arriving for SPT who were then breastfed again just prior to the beginning of the SPT. The FLACC pain scale was used to test the sensitivity of all children for pain before, during, and 15 minutes after the SPT. The effect of breastfeeding on the pain score and the duration of crying were compared among groups.
Results:
Both groups were similar according to age, gender, and other socio-demographic characteristics (p > .05). The percentage of children that cried during SPT was significantly higher in the control group than the study group (p = .002). The FLACC pain scale values were significantly lower in the study group (p < .001).
Conclusion:
Recent breastfeeding before SPT is correlated with less crying by possibly reducing the perceived pain of children ages 0-2.
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