Pain in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Westbom L, Rimstedt A, Nordmark E. Assessments of pain in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a retrospective population-based registry study. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2017 May 16. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.13459. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

AIM:

To explore pain screening in CPUP, a follow-up surveillance programme for people with cerebral palsy (CP), specifically to describe reported pain prevalence, localizations, patterns of distribution; to compare with studies using psychometrically sound assessment instruments; and to assess agreement between pain documented in CPUP and medical records.

METHOD:

Registry study of a population with CP, born 1993 to 2008, living in Skåne, Sweden in 2013. Descriptive data, cross-tabulations, and chi-square tests to characterize and compare the study groups. Kappa analysis to test the concordance between register and medical record reports on pain.

RESULTS:

Pain was reported by 185 out of 497 children (37%; females 40%, males 35%). Level V in both Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) was associated with highest prevalence of pain (50% and 54%), and level I with lowest prevalence of pain (30% and 32%). Pain was most frequent in dyskinetic CP (46%) and least frequent in unilateral spastic CP (33%). Feet and knees were the dominant localizations. Fair-moderate agreement (kappa 0.37, prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa [PABAK] 0.44) was found between documented pain in CPUP and medical records, although more seldom recognized in medical records.

INTERPRETATION:

The distribution of pain between CP subtypes, functional levels, sex, and age in CPUP is concordant with previous population-based studies, indicating the validity of the CPUP pain screening. Despite this, further clinical evaluation with extended pain assessments and pain management were largely neglected in children reporting chronic pain.

Courtesy of:  https://www.mdlinx.com/neurology/medical-news-article/2017/05/26/pain-cerebral-palsy-children-and-adolescents/7172299/?category=latest&page_id=2