Essential oils reduce autonomous response to pain sensation during self-monitoring of blood glucose among children with diabetes.
BACKGROUND
Essential oils were proven to possess analgesic activity in adults. Children with diabetes are exposed to highly painful interventions such as self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).


OBJECTIVE
An evaluation of the analgesic properties of two essential oils during SMBG in diabetic children.


METHODS
We included 73 hospitalized children (age<18 years) with well-controlled type 1 diabetes.


METHODS
The study extended over a period of 1 month (2 weeks for control group and 1 week for orange and lavender oil application). The measurements were performed four times per day in a shared room during SMBG. Pain intensity was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) and change of baseline heart rate (ΔHR%). An aromatherapy device was used to disperse essential oils in the testing room.


RESULTS
We performed 647 individual measurements of pain intensity and ΔHR%. Girls reported higher VAS scores [median, Me 0.5 (interquartile range, IQR 0-1) vs. 0 (IQR 0-0.5), p=0.0036]. Both age and duration of diabetes correlated with ΔHR% [r=-0.14, p=0.0005; r=-0.12, p=0.0025]. Negative correlations were also noted for VAS/age [r=-0.12, p=0.0030] and VAS/duration of diabetes [r=-0.12, p=0.0034]. Aromatherapy did not alter the VAS score (p=0.40), while ΔHR% decreased with borderline significance (p=0.0639). After adjustment for patient's age and sex lower ΔHR% was associated with essential oil application (p=0.0252). Aromatherapy did not have any influence on VAS scores in multivariate analysis (p=0.35).


CONCLUSIONS
Aromatherapy decreased the autonomic response to a painful stimulus by lowering ΔHR%, but did not affect the perception of pain reported by VAS.
Beata
B
Małachowska
Wojciech
W
Fendler
Agnieszka
A
Pomykała
Szymon
S
Suwała
Wojciech
W
Młynarski
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019341:Aromatherapy; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D015190:Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011379:Prognosis
D001786:Blood Glucose; D009822:Oils, Volatile