Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to increase prevalence and severity of chronic pain. We compared pandemic-era and pre-pandemic prevalence of chronic pain among children in the US. Methods Data were obtained from the 2019 and 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health, a web-or mail-based survey representative of children living in the US (n=20,359 in 2019; 29,159 in 2020). Caregiver-reported prevalence of chronic pain was compared between survey years using bivariate and multivariable methods. Results The prevalence of chronic pain among US children decreased from 11 to 8% in the first year of the pandemic. Multivariable analysis adjusting for children’s and caregivers’ demographics and socioeconomic characteristics confirmed that in 2020, odds of caregiver-reported chronic pain declined by 33% (95% confidence interval: 23%, 42%; p<0.001). Conclusions The encouraging finding of a nationwide decrease in the prevalence of chronic pain calls into question initial predictions anticipating the pandemic to contribute to onset or persistence of chronic pain among children.
This case describes a 62-year-old male with chronic low back and leg pain in the setting of worsening degenerative disk disease and lumbar spondylosis. Gabapentin is FDA approved for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia and as an adjunctive therapy for partial onset seizures, but is commonly used off-label for neuropathic pain. The patient was treated with three doses of gabapentin 300mg and a total of 44mg of methylprednisolone over a two-day period. The patient had previously tolerated methylprednisolone with no side effects and was not receiving any other acutely prescribed medications. The patient took ibuprofen chronically as needed for the pain. Subsequently, the patient acquired newonset stuttering which resolved with gabapentin discontinuation. A CT of the brain performed subsequently showed no acute changes. A neurological and physical examination following showed no changes except for the stuttering. This was the first time the patient had taken gabapentin. To the best knowledge of the researchers, this is only the second reported case of stuttering induced by gabapentin. This case report seeks to educate physicians on a possible side effect of gabapentin, a commonly used medication.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.