Pain for premature babies with long episodes

Long-term pain for premature babies: Infants born prematurely must be treated at the neonatal intensive care unit. Due to the numerous examinations and therapies the premature babies are exposed to severe pain. On the basis of a study it could now be proven that these experiences later have a lasting effect on the pain perception of those affected.

Many babies are born far too early, and only with the help of intensive care can they survive at all. On the other hand, children's sense of pain is greatly influenced for many years. The report researchers at the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Giessen.

Severe pain from treatment in the intensive care unit for newborns
The medical procedures of diagnosis and treatment bring great pain to the children. These formative experiences are also noticeable in later life. On the one hand, the little patients need a considerably longer period of time to process the bad experiences and on the other hand, the pain experiences later make for a higher sensitivity to pain. The greater sensitization of the pain can reach into adolescence, as the researcher dr. Johanna Hohmeister explained. For the work presented, Hohmeister received the award for pain research.

Study on pain perception of former premature babies
In a study, the scientist examined children born between the ages of eleven and 16 years. All children were treated at the beginning of their lives in a neonatal intensive care unit. For comparison, the researcher also examined nine normal-born children who did not have early hospital experience. The researcher studied brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while volunteers were given light but painful heat stimuli to the skin. In addition, the children were questioned about their subjective experience of pain. The evaluations showed that the former preemies had a much more intensive reaction in the brain even at a higher age than the comparison group. They therefore had a higher pain intensity. Also, the children did not get used to the painful stimuli with the early childhood clinical experience. The comparison group, however, showed this pain habituation in the experimental setup. „Careful treatment of pain in the neonatal intensive care unit is therefore very important“, demanded Hohmeister from Justus Liebig University Giessen.

Pain system in premature babies not yet mature
In premature infants, the pain-processing system is still in the middle of maturation. Because of this, the researchers speculate that the early experience of severe pain permanently changes the processing of pain. Children with these experiences experience the pain even more in later years than others.

It is still unclear how physicians can counteract this negative influence. The researcher Hofmeister emphasized that science is facing a great challenge. Because it is still unclear whether analgesic drugs in infants at all act and what possible side effects on the developing body could follow. Drugs containing morphine-like drugs could lead to respiratory arrest if they are overdosed or misused. Alternatively, it would therefore be conceivable to reduce the painful medical procedures. To what extent such measures could take place and whether the negative influence can be reduced, is still unclear. For this further studies would have to be made, as the scientist explained. „We need careful pain management in neonatal intensive care units“, demands Hohmeister.

In other studies, researchers had come to similar findings. Here, too, it could be observed that pain experienced early was stored firmly in the memory of pain. Whether the little patients need painkillers or not has long been controversial. Many physicians believe that newborns have fewer pain reactions than adults. Now you know from the studies that this is not the case. (sb, 12.10.2010)

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Picture credits: Moni Sertel