National Prevalence of Pain Among Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Whitney, Daniel G.; Shapiro, Danielle N.

doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3826

Cited by 42 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For the first time, a relation between symptoms of autism spectrum disease (ASD) and pain in DM1 is investigated. In previous pain studies on individuals diagnosed with autism, both hypo-and hypersensitivity are reported [69,70]. Whether the correlation between pain and ASD symptoms identified in the current study are due to a common cause, or a result of abnormal selfreporting in individuals with high rates of ASD symptoms, is not known.…”

Section: Pain and Gendermentioning

confidence: 67%

Pain in adult myotonic dystrophy type 1: relation to function and gender

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Pain is prevalent in myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1). This study investigated whether CTG repeat size, disease duration, BMI and motor and psychological function were related to pain in adult patients with DM1, and if there were gender differences regarding intensity and location of pain. Method Cross-sectional design. Pain was investigated in 50 genetically confirmed DM1 patients by combining clinical assessment and self-reports of pain intensity and locations. Pain scoring results were related to CTG size, disease duration, muscle strength, walking capacity measured by 6-min walk test, activity of daily life by Katz ADL Index, respiratory function by Forced Vital Capacity and BMI. In addition, the degree of reported pain was related to Quality of life measured by WHOQOL-BREF; fatigue was measured by Fatigue severity scale; psychological functions were measured by Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, IQ and Autism spectrum Quotient. Results Pain was reported in 84% of the patients and was significantly correlated with CTG size (r = 0.28 p = 0.050), disease duration (r = 0.38 p = 0.007), quality of life (r = − 0.37 p = 0.009), fatigue (r = 0.33 p = 0.02) and forced vital capacity (r = − 0.51, p = 0.005). Significant gender differences, with higher scores for females, were documented. In male subjects the number of pain locations was significantly correlated with quality of life and the autism quotient. In females, pain intensity was significantly correlated with activity, respiratory function and BMI. Conclusions Pain in DM1 was prevalent, with a strong association to lung function and other aspects of the disease. Significant gender differences were present for pain intensity and number of pain locations. How pain was related to other symptoms differed between male and female subjects. Our findings highlight the importance of assessments of pain in DM1 patients.

show abstract

Section: Pain and Gendermentioning

confidence: 67%

Pain in adult myotonic dystrophy type 1: relation to function and gender

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“… 51 In fact, empirical studies of pain in ASD tend to report increased pain sensitivity 57 and our work adds more data that challenge these old assumptions. Also, because many individuals with ASD have a number of comorbid medical conditions that could cause or exacerbate pain, 18 , 61 accurate assessment and management of pain is imperative in this population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 53 There is a paucity of empirical pain research in ASD, yet recent data suggest children with ASD experience more painful conditions compared to their peers. 61 Complicating pain assessment in ASD is the fact that verbal, self-report of pain is still the “gold standard,” thus, for individuals with ASD or similar communication difficulties, accurate assessment of pain can be challenging. As pain is a complex sensory, emotional, and social experience, 12 there are many possible reasons for altered pain behaviors and responses in ASD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased pain sensitivity and pain-related anxiety in individuals with autism

Failla

Gerdes

Williams

et al. 2020

PR9

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit differences in pain responsivity. This altered responsivity could be related to ASD-related social communication difficulties, sensory differences, or altered processing of pain stimuli. Previous neuroimaging work suggests altered pain evaluation could contribute to pain-related anxiety in ASD. Objectives: We hypothesized that individuals with ASD would report increased pain sensitivity and endorse more pain-related anxiety, compared to typically developing controls. Methods: We recruited 43 adults (ASD, n = 24; typically developing, n = 19) for 3 heat pain tasks (applied to the calf). We measured heat pain thresholds using a method of limits approach, a pain-rating curve (7 temperatures between 40 and 48°C, 5 seconds, 5 trials each), and a sustained heat pain task with alternating low (42°C) and high (46°C) temperatures (21 seconds, 6 trials each). Individual differences in pain-related anxiety, fear of pain, situational pain catastrophizing, depressive symptoms, and autism-related social communication were assessed by self-report. Results: There were no group differences in pain thresholds. For suprathreshold tasks, mean pain ratings were higher in ASD across both the pain-rating curve and the sustained heat pain tasks, but responses in the ASD group were more varied. Pain anxiety (PASS-Total) and pain-related fear (FOP-III-Total) were higher in the ASD group and were positively associated with pain ratings. Conclusions: Our results suggest that both sensory and cognitive experiences of pain are heightened and interact reciprocally in adults with ASD. Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of pain-related anxiety on treatment-seeking and pain behaviors, given higher levels of pain-related anxiety in ASD.

show abstract

“…Furthermore, 90% of ASD toddlers are unable to point protodeclaratively or protoimperatively (16). Indeed, many individuals with ASD are incapable of pointing to the source of their discomfort, find it difficult to attend to or detect bodily sensations (17), have poor integration of body scheme representation, and have atypical sensory perceptions or reports of pain (18). This inability to communicate pain or discomfort to other people may propitiate the enactment of inappropriate behaviors as a way for patients to express themselves and attract attention to their plight.…”

Section: Comorbidity and Autism Spectrum Disordermentioning

confidence: 99%