Difference in pain expression in female and male newborn infants after an acute nociceptive procedure

• Grant number: 09/06145-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2009
• End date: July 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Ruth Guinsburg
• Grantee: Ruth Guinsburg
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

There are differences between genders in pain processing and expression. Biological and environmental factors may be associated to explain these differences, but their role is not well known. The fact that the socialization develops in individuals after birth allows considering the newborns as a group suitable for the study of biological factors related to the expression of pain. Objective: To analyze differences in physiological and behavioral expression of pain in female and male newborns in the first 6 hours of life. Method: Prospective and blind clinical trial of 400 healthful term newborns infants (200 of each sex) with gestational age between 37 weeks and 41 weeks and six days, in the first 6 hours of life submitted to vitamin K intramuscular injection in the right thigh, which is a routine procedure for all neonates. For both groups, heart rate, oxygen saturation, Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS) and Behavioral Indicators of Infant Pain (BIIP) will be evaluated before the procedure (after 8 minutes of rest), during tight cleansing, during the injection and two minutes afterwards. Also, the Premature Infant Pain Profile - PIPP will be assessed. The investigator in charge of pain evaluation will be blind to infants' sex Repeated measures ANOVA (NFCS, BIIP) and ANOVA (PIIP) adjusted for demographic characteristics will be applied to compare pain expression between male and female newborn infants. Also, the data will be analyzed by logistic regression, being pain scores for each scale the dependent variable and the sex of the infant one of the independent variables. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MARIA CARMENZA CUENCA ARIAS; RUTH GUINSBURG. Differences between uni-and multidimensional scales for assessing pain in term newborn infants at the bedside. Clinics, v. 67, n. 10, p. 1165-1170, 2012-10-00. (09/06145-5)