QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENTS OF PAIN IN CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE CHRONIC ARTHRITIS BASED ON THE NORWEGIAN VERSION OF THE PEDIATRIC PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE

Quantitative and qualitative aspects of pain were studied using a stan dardized questionnaire (the Varni/Thompson Pediatric Pain Questionnair e-PPQ). Fifty-seven of 64 consecutive in- and out-patients (6-18 yrs) with juvenile chronic arthritis (pauciart. n=27, polyart. n=30) and 52 parents participated. The patients were examined by the same rheumato logist and randomly interviewed by either a disabled or a non-disabled person. Present pain, worst pain intensity and disease severity were scored (on visual analogue scales [10 cm. VAS]) by patients, parents a nd rheumatologist. Eighty-two percent of the children reported pain la sting from 30 min up to 24 h daily (mean 4.3 h). No significant differ ences were found between median pain scores of children, parents and t he physician, but the correlations found between children's and parent 's assessment of pain and assessment of disease severity were low, ind icating that the two sets of raters did not agree to an acceptable lev el. Two-thirds of the adolescents reported that they would become more physically active if pain disappeared. Should the pain suddenly vanis h, a positive change in family relationships was anticipated by one ou t of four patients. Forty-two percent of the patients thought it valua ble to be interviewed by a disabled physician. The Norwegian Varni/Tho mpson PPQ is easy to administer to children down to six years and make s it possible to compare results internationally. Lack of agreement on the assessment of pain by a child and his/her parent indicates the ne ed to interview both parties.