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Prevalence of growing pains in a general paediatric OPD: A descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study
Bidyut K Khuntdar1, Sumon Mondal1, Surjit Naik2
1Department of Pediatrics, Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, Medinipur, West Bengal, India.
Insights
Growing pain (GP) affects 1.24% of children in pediatric OPDs. Iron supplementation, alongside vitamin D and calcium, significantly speeds up symptom resolution in children with growing pains.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Nutritional Deficiencies
Background:
- Growing pain (GP) is a frequent reason for pediatric consultations.
- Understanding the prevalence and characteristics of GP is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of growing pain in a pediatric outpatient department.
- To investigate the characteristics and associations of growing pain.
- To evaluate the impact of supplementation on symptom resolution.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study screened children with chronic leg pain using Peterson's criteria.
- Patients received vitamin D, calcium, and iron supplementation as indicated.
- A chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of GP was 1.24% in the general pediatric OPD and 72.7% among children with chronic leg pain.
- Iron supplementation, combined with vitamin D3 and calcium, led to symptom-free status in 67.3% of children.
- Only 28.8% of children receiving only vitamin D3 and calcium became symptom-free (P < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
- Growing pain is prevalent in pediatric outpatient settings.
- Iron supplementation, in addition to vitamin D3 and calcium, is associated with a faster resolution of growing pain symptoms.
Context:
Growing pain (GP) is a common presentation in primary care settings.
Aims:
To find out the prevalence of GP and to observe its characteristics and associations.
Settings And Design:
General paediatric outpatient department (OPD).
Methods And Material:
Children coming to the general paediatric OPD of a tertiary centre in India between April 2019 and March 2020 for 'chronic leg pains' were screened with Peterson's criteria. Patients with systemic illness were excluded. All received vitamin D and calcium supplementation. Patients with haemoglobin less than 11 gm% received additional 3 mg/kg iron supplementation. Then, patients were asked for follow-up.
Statistical Analysis Used:
Chi-square test.
Results:
A total of 333 children were diagnosed as GP out of the total OPD attendance of 26750. The prevalence was 1.24% and 72.7% among the children with chronic leg pain. Highest prevalence was in winter (1.74%). The mean age of the patients was 7.88 years. The mean duration of symptoms was 10.92 months. After 3 months, 267 patients could be followed up. Seventy-two out of 107 (67.3%) children, who received iron became symptom-free. Only 43 (28.8%) patients became symptom-free out of 160, who received only calcium and vitamin D3 and did not receive iron. The difference was highly significant statistically (P < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
The prevalence of GP in the OPD was 1.24% and 72.7% among the children with chronic leg pain. Iron supplementation along with vitamin D3 and calcium was associated with faster resolution of the symptoms.
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