Traitements médicamenteux de la douleur neuropathique en pédiatrie

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defined neuropathic pain as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system. Even if this definition is valid in adults as in children, causes of neuropathic pain differ in these populations. Semiologic characteristics of neuropathic pain are similar in adults and children but young age or cognitive disabilities can limit verbal expression of pain and make diagnosis of neuropathic pain difficult in children. Neuropathic pain must be evoked in suggestive clinical context (neurologic lesions or diseases). Neuropathic pain treatment guidelines are available regarding adult population and applied to the pediatric population. There are no high level studies in pediatrics, but only case reports and expert opinion. We will review pediatric data on pharmacological treatments of neuropathic pain in order to bring out proposals for management of neuropathic pain in children.