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Authors Daguet I, Bergeron-Vézina K, Harvey MP, Martel M, Léonard G
Received 29 September 2017
Accepted for publication 14 December 2017
Published 28 February 2018 Volume 2018:13 Pages 335—342
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S152906
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single-blind
Peer reviewers approved by Dr Lucy Goodman
Peer reviewer comments 3
Editor who approved publication: Dr Richard Walker
Purpose: Placebo analgesia refers to a perceived reduction in pain
intensity following the administration of a simulated or otherwise medically ineffective
treatment. Previous studies have shown that many factors can influence the
magnitude of placebo analgesia. However, few investigations have examined the
effect of age on placebo analgesia, and none have done it in the context of
electrotherapeutic interventions. The objective of this study is to compare the
placebo response induced by sham transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
(TENS) between young and older individuals, using an experimental heat-pain
paradigm.
Patients and
methods: Twenty-two young (21–39 years) and
22 older (58–76 years) healthy adults participated in this comparative study.
Experimental heat pain was evoked with a thermode (2-min stimulation at a
constant individually adjusted temperature) applied on the lumbar region. Participants
were asked to evaluate the intensity of their pain using a computerized visual
analog scale. Experimental pain was induced before and after an unconditioned
placebo intervention (placebo TENS) applied for 25 min.
Results: In young individuals, no significant pain reductions were noted,
whereas in older individuals, a statistically significant pain reduction was
observed after the placebo stimulation (P <0.01).
Between-group analyses revealed that placebo analgesia was greater in older
individuals (40% pain reduction) compared with young individuals (15% pain
reduction) (P <0.05). However, sham TENS
increased heat-pain thresholds in the young group (P <0.01),
but not in the older group (P =0.43).
Conclusion: Our results indicate that placebo analgesia is influenced by age, with
older individuals showing larger placebo analgesia than young adults. Although
these results should be confirmed in clinical pain populations, the current
observations bear potentially important consequences for the design of future
placebo-controlled trials and for healthcare professionals working with elderly
patients.
Keywords: pain, ageing, elderly, sham treatment, placebo, rehabilitation,
electrotherapy