Pain Symptomatology and Management in Pediatric Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Review

Overview

Journal Children (Basel)

Specialty Health Services

Date 2020 Sep 24

PMID 32967103

Citations 2

Authors

Estee C H Feldman

Daniel P Hivick

P Maxwell Slepian

Susan T Tran

Pradeep Chopra

Rachel Neff Greenley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of connective tissue disorders that manifest with hyperextensibility of joints and skin, and general tissue fragility. While not a major criterion for clinical diagnosis, pain is a frequently endorsed symptom across subtypes of EDS. As such, the present review aims to summarize research to date on pain characteristics and management, and the relationship between such pain symptomatology and quality of life in pediatric EDS. Characteristics of pain, including theorized etiology, relative intensity and extent of pain are described, as well as descriptions of frequently endorsed pain sites (musculoskeletal, and non-musculoskeletal). Interventions related to the management of musculoskeletal (e.g., pharmaceutical intervention, physical therapy) and non-musculoskeletal pain (e.g., pharmaceutical and psychological interventions) are discussed, highlighting the need for additional research related to pediatric pain management in the context of hypermobility syndromes. In addition, the relationship between pain in pediatric EDS and quality of life is described. Finally, limitations of literature to date are described and recommendations for future lines of research are outlined.

Citing Articles

The Relationship Between Fatigue, Pain Interference, Pain-Related Distress, and Avoidance in Pediatric Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Sokol O, Biggs E, Berger A, Simons L, Bhandari R Children (Basel). 2025; 12(2).

PMID: 40003271 PMC: 11854175. DOI: 10.3390/children12020170.

The Impact of Pain on Everyday Activities of People With Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders or Hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

Lindholm S, Petersson S, Molander P, Bjork M Eur J Pain. 2025; 29(3):e70000.

PMID: 39945031 PMC: 11822559. DOI: 10.1002/ejp.70000.

Comorbidities of Rural Children and Adolescents with Migraine and without Migraine.

Walter S, Dai Z, Wang K Children (Basel). 2023; 10(7).

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State of the art and future directions in assessing the quality of life in rare and complex connective tissue and musculoskeletal diseases.

Trieste L, Cannizzo S, Palla I, Triulzi I, Turchetti G Front Med (Lausanne). 2022; 9:986218.

PMID: 36213631 PMC: 9537631. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.986218.

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