Chronic pain in children with oncopathology: ways of solving the problem

Abstract

Objective. Pain is one of the complications in children with acute leukemia, which requires timely and effective analgesic therapy. We decided to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of analgesia in children with acute leukemia depending on the method of analgesia.
 Materials and methods. There was a survey of 60 children (3 groups of 20 children each). In group 1 conducted morphine analgesia, in group 2 – morphine in combination with gabapentin, in group 3 – paracetamol with gabapentin. Investigated performance of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract. The questionnaire “Feeling. Activity. Mood” was used to determine psycho-emotional disorders, visual-analogue scale and face scale was used to determine the intensity of pain.
 Results and discussion. In group 1, all children had dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract and lability of blood pressure. In group 2, only 11 children had disorders of the digestive system, there were no cardiovascular complications. In group 3, only 5 children had lability of blood pressure. Averages activity in all three groups are almost identical and reflect favorable condition. The average health indicators are the lowest in the 1st group – 3.78±0.11 (p<0.05), in the 2nd group – 3.84±0.06 (p<0.05), and in the 3rd group – 4.01±0.09 (p<0.05). Mood indicators in groups 2 and 3 are almost the same – 4.04±0.12 (p<0.05) and 4.42±0.04 (p<0.05), respectively, and the worst in 1st group – 3.94±0.07 (p<0.05). The pain intensity according to visual-analogue scale on day 30 was in the 1st group ≤5 points, in the 2nd group ≤4 points and in the 3rd group ≤3 points. On day 78, the intensity of pain in group 1 was ≤5 points, in 2nd and 3rd groups – ≤3 points. Severe asthenia was observed only in 6 children (10 %) of the group 1, moderate asthenia – in 45 children (75 %) and the fatigue reaction – in 9 children (25 %).
 Conclusions. The best tolerability of analgesia in children, receiving paracetamol with gabapentin, the worst – in children receiving only opiates. Children who combined opiates with gabapentin had better health and significantly fewer complications than children who received opiates alone.