Premature Babies More Susceptible to Pain

Premature babies are more sensitive to pain so that they feel pain more acutely than in infants of normal birth. Experts suspect this is due to the intensive care they receive at the hospital.

Via feeding tubes, injections, and blood tests that must be lived premature babies makes them more sensitive to pain. For that reason, experts recommend that babies who were in intensive care medicine to get better pain relief.

A number of researchers from University College London to make research to monitor the brain activity of premature infants who have been treated for 40 days when they undergo routine blood tests.

Measurement of brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) showed a premature baby has a stronger brain activity than a healthy baby at the same age when they should be injected and blood was taken. In other words, babies born prematurely are more sensitive to pain.

When both groups of infants received a touch soft on the feet, both showed the same brain activity. It shows the sensitivity of premature infants to the pain more than the usual touch.

"Our results show premature births and intensive care in hospital in effect on the brain processes pain, or pain," said Dr Rebeccah Slater, lead researcher.

Premature infants in general should receive intensive care in a long time. Therefore, the researchers recommend that health workers and doctors noticed the quality of pain management. "Doctors and nurses should ensure that the pain experienced by infants remain a minimum," said Slater.