Pain: a common symptom in human immunodeficiency virus-infected Thai children.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence and characteristics of pain in Thai human immunodeficiency virus-infected children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was performed at the HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic at the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, Bangkok, Thailand from November 2002 to January 2003. Sixty-one human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients aged 4 to 15 y, an equal number of age-matched children with no chronic disease and their caregivers participated. We interviewed children and their caregivers using a structured questionnaire on pain. The main outcome measure was the percentage of human immunodeficiency virus-infected children reporting pain.


RESULTS
Forty-four percent of the human immunodeficiency virus-infected children reported pain compared to 13% of the children with no chronic disease (odds ratio, OR = 5.3; 95% CI: 2.0-14.3). Seven percent of the infected children experienced chronic pain. Children in human immunodeficiency virus clinical categories B and C reported more pain than children in categories N and A (OR = 4.0, 95% CI: 1.1-14.7). Pain in infected children tended to occur in the abdomen, lower limbs or head. Only 44 percent of the infected children experiencing pain received analgesic medication.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite being a common experience, pain is insufficiently taken into account and treated in Thai children with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, adequate pain identification, assessment and management should be systemically considered in their routine care.
Lolekha
R
R
Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, Bangkok, Thailand.
Chanthavanich
P
P
Limkittikul
K
K
Luangxay
K
K
Chotpitayasunodh
T
T
Newman
C J
CJ
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology