ArticleBMC pediatrics2021
Chronic pain among children with cerebral palsy attending a Ugandan tertiary hospital: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Estimate the burden of malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Landscape of paediatric pain in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Clinical and maternal factors associated with pain and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy.African journal of disability · 2025Article
- Trajectories of medication use and polypharmacy among children with cerebral palsy.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2023Article
- Prevalence and related factors of epilepsy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildren with cerebral palsy (CP) frequently experience chronic pain. The burden and severity of such pain is often underestimated in relation to their other impairments. Recognition and awareness of this chronic pain among children with CP constitute the cornerstone for caretakers and clinicians to improve the quality of life of those children. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic pain among children with CP, and the factors associated.
methodsA cross-sectional study of children with CP, aged 2-12 years, attending the CP rehabilitation clinic and Pediatric Neurology Clinic at Mulago Hospital, Uganda from November 2017 to May 2018. A detailed history and clinical examination were performed and the co-morbidities were determined. CP was classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System, Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), and the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) and documented with the level of impairment in the different domains. Pain was assessed by using the revised Face, Legs, Activity, Consolability, Cry pain scale.
resultsA total of 224 children with CP were enrolled. The prevalence of chronic pain was 64.3%. The majority had spastic bilateral CP (77.8%), moderate pain lasting over 6 months, and none of them was on long-term pain management. Epilepsy (60.9%), behavioral problem (63.2%), hearing impairment (66,7%), learning problem (67,6%), dental caries (75%), gastro-esophageal reflux (75%), sleep disorders (79.5%), vision impairment (80%), and malnutrition (90%) were co- morbid conditions of chronic pain in children with CP in this study. The factors independently associated with chronic pain among children with CP were the GMFCS level IV & V, CFCS level IV & V, EDACS level IV & V, female children, and caretaker aged more than 30 years.
conclusionsTwo-thirds of children with CP attending rehabilitation in this hospital had chronic pain. None was receiving pain management. Chronic pain was associated with the presence of multiple co-morbidities and more severe disability. Rehabilitation and care programs for children with CP should include assessment of pain in routine care and provide interventions for pain relief in children with CP even at an early age.
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