Pain and Age

In this chapter we review the significance of age in pain management, with a particular focus on children and the elderly. Right from birth, our responses to disease-related or external sources of pain differ, necessitating tailored assessments and treatment strategies. Not too long ago, there was a prevailing belief that infants could not experience pain or that, since they wouldn’t remember it, the need for analgesics during painful procedures was diminished. Today, neurophysiological knowledge and clinical expertise confirm that babies possess at birth the neural pathways to process nociceptive inputs. Even if they might not form conscious memories of the pain, there exists a physiological memory that could negatively influence their future pain responses. Elderly individuals are at a higher risk of enduring painful experiences due to age-related physiological degeneration. Furthermore, these physiological changes can impact the response to pharmacological treatments, elevating the likelihood of significant side effects. However, it is essential that elderly individuals receive the same level of pain relief as young adults, even if the adjustments required may be more intricate.