Sensitization to acute procedural pain in pediatric sickle cell disease: modulation by painful vaso-occlusive episodes, age, and endothelin-1.

Unlabelled: The impact of pain early in life is a salient issue for sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic condition characterized by painful vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) that can begin in the first year of life and persist into adulthood. This study examined the effects of age and pain history (age of onset and frequency of recent VOEs) on acute procedural pain in children with SCD. Endothelin-1, a vaso-active peptide released during VOEs and acute tissue injury, and its precursor, Big Endothelin, were explored as markers of pain sensitization and vaso-occlusion.

Criterion and convergent validity for 4 measures of pain in a pediatric sickle cell disease population.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of 4 measures of acute pain in youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) during a medical procedure.

Methods: Heart rate, child self-report, parent proxy-report, and observable pain behaviors were examined in 48 youth with SCD ages 2 to 17 years. Criterion validity for acute pain was assessed by responsiveness to a standardized painful stimulus (venipuncture) in a prospective pre-post design.

Age- and sex-specific nociceptive response to endothelin-1.

Unlabelled: Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a chemical mediator released by the body at sites of injury and disease. This study tests the hypothesis that ET-1-induced nociception changes with age and sex. Intraplantar ET-1 (1.