Pain from diseases such as cancer may often go undetected. Younger children do not know how to communicate their pain to others. Some children with trauma or burns or other illnesses may cry incessantly and become withdrawn because of severe pain. Their pain may go untreated because they do not act like they are in pain. Adolescents often try to appear stoic, denying their pain and suffering privately, yet crying when alone.
Some adolescents refuse potentially life-saving treatment because of fear about the pain involved.
Recent studies have shown that pain, when not adequately treated, can place a significant psychological stress on a child's body. Persistent, untreated pain may cause sufficient stress to create medical complications in the sick child or worsen the disease course. Children's ability to fight infections or heal properly may be impaired by pain. Consequently, recognizing and treating pain in infants, children and adolescents is critical, not only to enhance the quality of life, but also to reduce the adverse impact that chronic pain and stress may have on the course of their illness. We also direct our efforts to helping other medical staff, including physicians and nurses learn how to recognize and treat pain in children with chronic diseases such as cancer, kidney disease and heart problems, which carry their own burdens of pain and fear.