Pain or tissue injury in newborn babies might predispose them to increased sensitivity to pain in later life, according to a US study.
Researchers modelled the effects of inflammation and pain in newborn rats by subjecting them to persistent irritation in their hind paw. The animals developed an increased density of neurones in the affected paw and as adults this paw was more sensitive to pain.
The researchers conclude that peripheral inflammation in the neonate, for example, as a result of medical procedures, can result in lasting and potentially detrimental alterations in pain transmitting pathways. The study is published in Science (2000;289:628).