Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2005
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Chronic and Recurrent Pain in Children and Adolescents: Progress in Pain Research and Management (Vol. 13)
Reviewed by John D. Loeser, MD
P.J. McGrath & G.A. Finley (Eds.), IASP Press, Seattle, 1999, 275 pages, $67 (members $43.55 [hardcover]), ISBN 0-931092-27-2
This book is based on the second biennial International Forum on Pediatric Pain, which was held September 24-27, 1998, in Nova Scotia. It was published approximately 8 months after the meeting. The participants were an invited multidisciplinary group of healthcare providers from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. There are 11 chapters and an index in this small book. Like other IASP publications, it is affordable and well manufactured. The initial chapter, written by McGrath and Finley, provides a brief overview and sets the stage for subsequent chapters. Dickenson and Rahman review the little that is known about the developing nervous system and its responses to chronic pain. Much of the data for this chapter come, in fact, from studies of adult nervous systems, but some information from studies of immature and fetal animals is presented. Schellinck and Anand review the effects of various types of stress, including pain, on rodent models of pain in newborns. Taddio reviews the literature on human infant responses to surgical and procedural stress and pain. Olsson covers neuropathic pain in children, Schechter addresses pain in sickle-cell disease, Larsson discusses recurrent headaches, Walker reviews the history of concepts about recurrent abdominal pain, McGrath and Breau discuss musculoskeletal pain, Unruh and Campbell consider gender differences in children’s pain experiences, and Sethna deals with aspects of pharmacotherapy for children suffering from chronic pain. Each chapter is well referenced and provides a good review of the topic.
For the pain specialist, this volume provides current concepts and data about many of the unique aspects of chronic pain in people with immature nervous systems. Other articles and texts cover similar material in greater depth, but this is an excellent starting point. Contrary to the claim that the IASP definition of pain reflects a bias against children, this book is proof of the concern this organization has for those who do not possess adult cognitive skills. I recommend this book as a useful addition to pain specialists’ libraries. It will also be useful for primary care practitioners who treat children and their diseases.