Pain management in children with HIV/AIDS
O'Hara, M.J.; Czarniecki, L.
Gmhc Treatment Issues the Gay Men's Health Crisis Newsletter of Experimental Aids Therapies 11(7-8): 38-40
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 1077-1824 PMID: 11364656 Document Number: 474581
Children with HIV experience pain throughout the course of the disease, but pain in children has historically been under-recognized and under-treated. There is little research on pain management, partly due to the erroneous assumption that children do not experience the same kind or intensity of pain as adults, and therefore do not need the same medical prevention. It is also a myth that children do not remember painful experiences, or that they cannot identify where the pain exists. For children with HIV who come from families with a history of substance abuse, there is some concern that use of pain medication may lead to addiction. Pain should always be treated in children, even while the underlying cause is being determined. The World Health Organization has issued guidelines on the use of analgesics according to a pain ladder and the guidelines descriptions are included.