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Joint Scientific Meeting of the American
Pain Society
and Canadian Pain Society |
VANCOUVER, May 5, 2004 – Increasing the amount and quality of
pediatric pain
research is a major priority for pain management specialists attending the
American Pain Society-Canadian Pain Society Joint Scientific Meeting here.
At a special full-day symposium “Changing the Face of Pediatric Pain” held
today, a
recurring theme expressed was that more research must be devoted to the
complex and unique needs of children and adolescents with acute and
chronic pain. “In children, chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia
and complex regional pain syndrome, behave differently than they do in
adults because the physical, emotional and social context is different in
children and adolescents,” said Gary Walco, PhD, professor of pediatrics,
UMDNJ, New Jersey Medical School.
Walco noted that as pain researchers learn more about central pain
mechanisms through advances in brain imaging and animal models, a paradigm
shift is occurring in which optimal pain therapy requires management
focusing on the integration of physiological and psychological aspects of
pain. “We rely on cognitive techniques, such as relaxation and developing
effective coping skills, in the context of a rehabilitation model to
facilitate more adaptive behavior and to help prevent or minimize
long-term psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, that
are clearly related to the experience of persistent pain,” he explained.
With regard to physiological treatments, Walco said improved pediatric
pain treatment regimens can be developed if more clinical studies are
performed to assess how analgesics and other medications are metabolized
in children, especially infants and neonates. “Babies are surviving today
as young as 24 weeks, yet we don’t fully understand how various pain
medications affect the liver and other organs at this early stage of
development,” he said. Walco added that the US Food and Drug
Administration and the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development recently organized a working group of pediatric-pain experts
to devise protocols for neonate pain control studies.
The critical roles parents can play in helping children overcome pain also
was discussed at the symposium. Christine Chambers, assistant professor of
pediatrics and psychology at Dalhousie University, Hailfax, Nova Scotia,
said clinicians should encourage parents to help children cope with acute
pain from medical procedures or following surgery. “Pain is everywhere in
the hospital,” said Chambers, “and IV insertions and blood draws are a
common source of pain for children.”
Chambers outlined basic strategies parents should follow to help children
cope with pain. “It’s very helpful to use relaxation strategies, such as
taking deep breaths, and also to distract the child’s attention by using
humor or by talking about anything unrelated to the procedure,” said
Chambers. She said children have different coping styles but the way
parents react to their pain has a great influence on how the child handles
it. “Relaxation and distraction techniques work very well, however,
parents who try to reassure their child the pain will go away usually
make the situation worse. It may send a signal that the parents are
distressed and the child reacts accordingly,” Chambers explained. Chambers
advised parents to consult with the medical team if their child’s pain
isn’t under control. “While medical procedures often are accompanied by
pain, we now know there is much we can do to help children cope with pain,
and parents should be aggressive in seeking effective pain management for
their children,” she said.
Founded in 1978, the American Pain Society is a multidisciplinary
professional
organization with more than 3,500 members in the United States consisting
of scientists, physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, nurses, policy
experts and others who study and treat pain. APS seeks to advance
pain-related research, education, treatment and team oriented professional
practice. In recent years, the group has gained a reputation as the
premiere scholarly scientific society in the field of pain research and
treatment. It sponsors an annual scientific meeting and publishes the
Journal of Pain, a quarterly peer-reviewed medical journal. APS is
headquartered in Glenview, Ill.  |
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