Preemie pain alters pain sensitivity later

Painful medical interventions early in life may alter sensitivity to pain later in life, British researchers suggest

Researchers at University College of London linked being born prematurely to altered responses to hot and cold.

In the study, 43 11-year-old children born at less than 26 weeks of gestation were tested for their responses to different sensations — temperature and light touch — using quantitative sensory testing. Compared to a group of children who had been born at full term, the premature children were less sensitive to temperature but not to light touch. This was most marked in those who had also undergone a surgical operation as a baby.

As the same nerve fibers transmit temperature and pain, changes in thermal sensitivity may also be associated with altered responses to pain in later life, Dr. Suellen Walker said in a statement. In our laboratory studies, we have also shown that surgical incisions in early life reduce sensitivity to temperature and pressure, and alter pain responses to future surgery.

The findings were published in the journal Pain.