ArticleBritish journal of anaesthesia2018
Somatosensory function and pain in extremely preterm young adults from the UK EPICure cohort: sex-dependent differences and impact of neonatal surgery.
Article in British journal of anaesthesia, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 119 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sucrose analgesia for venepuncture in neonates.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Long-term alterations in pain sensitivity following preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Sex differences in the effects of prematurity and/or low birthweight on neurodevelopmental outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses.Biology of sex differences · 2023Pooled it
- What brain abnormalities can magnetic resonance imaging detect in foetal and early neonatal spina bifida: a systematic review.Neuroradiology · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of a portable therapeutic baby nest designed for neonates on physiological parameters, comfort and pain levels during venous blood sampling: a randomised controlled trial.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2025Trial
- Long-term impact of necrotizing enterocolitis on somatosensory function in preterm born children.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Neonatal pain experience and pain sensitivity trajectories in preterm infants: A longitudinal study of flexion withdrawal reflex thresholds over the first two years of age.The journal of pain · 2025Article
- Management of postoperative pain in neonatal intensive care units in Japan.Journal of anesthesia · 2025Article
- Prefrontal Cortical Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Acute Pain Assessment in Infants: A Feasibility Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Neonatal amygdala volumes, procedural pain and the association with social-emotional development in children born very preterm.Brain structure & function · 2024Article
- A comparison of the effect of procedural pain on cerebral oxygen saturation between late preterm and term infants.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2024Article
- Macrophage memories of early-life injury drive neonatal nociceptive priming.Cell reports · 2024Article
- Understanding the unique and common perspectives of partners engaged in knowledge mobilization activities within pediatric pain management: a mixed methods study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Pain/Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants.Developmental neuroscience · 2024Article
- Central Autonomic Network and Heart Rate Variability in Premature Neonates.Developmental neuroscience · 2024Article
- Current pain management practices for preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis: a European survey.Pediatric research · 2023Article
- The impact of gender medicine on neonatology: the disadvantage of being male: a narrative review.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2023Review
- What is the association between childhood adversity and subsequent chronic pain in adulthood? A systematic review.BJA open · 2023Review
- Article
- Pediatricians' focus of sight at pain assessment during a neonatal heel puncture.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSurgery or multiple procedural interventions in extremely preterm neonates influence neurodevelopmental outcome and may be associated with long-term changes in somatosensory function or pain response.
methodsThis observational study recruited extremely preterm (EP, <26 weeks' gestation; n=102, 60% female) and term-born controls (TC; n=48) aged 18-20 yr from the UK EPICure cohort. Thirty EP but no TC participants had neonatal surgery. Evaluation included: quantitative sensory testing (thenar eminence, chest wall); clinical pain history; questionnaires (intelligence quotient; pain catastrophising; anxiety); and structural brain imaging.
resultsReduced thermal threshold sensitivity in EP vs TC participants persisted at age 18-20 yr. Sex-dependent effects varied with stimulus intensity and were enhanced by neonatal surgery, with reduced threshold sensitivity in EP surgery males but increased sensitivity to prolonged noxious cold in EP surgery females (P<0.01). Sex-dependent differences in thermal sensitivity correlated with smaller amygdala volume (P<0.05) but not current intelligence quotient. While generalised decreased sensitivity encompassed mechanical and thermal modalities in EP surgery males, a mixed pattern of sensory loss and sensory gain persisted adjacent to neonatal scars in males and females. More EP participants reported moderate-severe recurrent pain (22/101 vs 4/48; χ
conclusionsAfter preterm birth and neonatal surgery, different patterns of generalised and local scar-related alterations in somatosensory function persist into early adulthood. Sex-dependent changes in generalised sensitivity may reflect central modulation by affective circuits. Early life experience and sex/gender should be considered when evaluating somatosensory function, pain experience, or future chronic pain risk.
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