Mucositis Pain and Its Temporal Relationship to White Cell Count
Authors' conclusion
Pain relief from mucositis is related to an increase in white cell count after a period of severe neutropenia, where white cell count is a surrogate for neutrophil count. There is a delay in analgesic response of approximately 1 day. This analgesic response to increasing white cell count had greater dominance than analgesia achieved using either opioids or ketamine.
Study context
- Population
- Children with mucositis due to immunosuppression (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, neutropenia) referred to the pediatric pain service for IV analgesia
- Participants
- 50 children
- Outcome
- Relationship between white cell count and pain score
Methodological detailsnonlinear mixed effects modelling, sigmoid EMAX model, delayed effect model, Enrolled January 2022 to December 2023
- Nonlinear mixed effects modelling
- Sigmoid EMAX model
- Delayed effect model
- Enrolled January 2022 to December 2023
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Equilibration half-time relating rise in white cell count and pain response
0.29 days
Initial pain score (children already on paracetamol and tramadol; maximum pain 10)
6.3
Maximum pain reduction (% of initial pain score)
59%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Analgesic effect of morphine and ketamine
- Maximum response for opioids (pain reduction)
- 38%
- Maximum response for ketamine (pain reduction)
- 11%
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →