Post-tonsillectomy pain: the difference between younger and older patients.

In a prospective study of 50 patients undergoing tonsillectomy the pain scores over the first 14 days were recorded. The scores for those patients 10 years or younger were compared with those older than 10. The results showed a significant difference between the distribution of pain over the course of time between the two groups. The mean pain scores on day 1 were similar in the two groups but in the older group the level of pain recorded daily remained fairly constant until day 9 when it fell to around half the initial score. In the younger children the pain scores peaked at day 2 but thereafter fell to approximately half the peak score by day 6. The analgesic intake in each group mirrored these findings.