• SenaratneDhaneesha N SDNSChronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK. Electronic address: dsenaratne002@dundee.ac.uk., Mia Koponen, Karen N Barnett, Blair H Smith, Tim G Hales, Louise Marryat, and Lesley A Colvin.
• Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK. Electronic address: dsenaratne002@dundee.ac.uk.
• Br J Anaesth. 2024 Oct 21.

BackgroundThere is well-established evidence linking adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic pain in adulthood. It is less clear how ACE exposure might influence the response to chronic pain treatment. In this systematic review, we synthesise the literature assessing the impact of ACE exposure on outcomes relating to the use, benefits, and harms of analgesic medications (analgesia-related outcomes).MethodsWe searched seven databases from inception to September 26, 2023, for studies investigating adverse events in childhood (<18 yr) and any analgesia-related outcome during adulthood (≥18 yr). Title/abstract screening, full-text review, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed independently by two authors. Given the high degree of study heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed.ResultsFrom 7531 records, 66 studies met inclusion criteria, involving 137 395 participants. Analgesia-related outcomes were classed into six categories: use of analgesics (n=12), analgesic side-effects (n=4), substance misuse (n=45), lifetime drug overdose (n=2), endogenous pain signalling (n=4), and other outcomes (n=2). No studies assessed the effect of ACE exposure on the potential benefits of analgesics. ACE exposure was associated with greater use of analgesic medication, higher incidence of analgesic medication side-effects, greater risk and severity of substance misuse, greater risk of drug overdose, and greater risk of attempted suicide in opioid dependency.ConclusionsAdverse childhood experience exposure is associated with poor analgesia-related outcomes, so individual assessment adverse childhood experiences is important when considering the treatment of chronic pain. However, significant gaps in the literature remain, especially relating to the use and harms of non opioid analgesics.Systematic Review ProtocolCRD42023389870 (PROSPERO).Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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