Table 2.
Detection- and pain thresholds per age group
| Control group | Total group | 8–9 years | 10–11 years | 12–13 years | 14–17 years | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 69) | (n = 69) | (n = 14) | (n = 31) | (n = 12) | (n = 12) | ||
| Method of Limits (MLI) | |||||||
| Cold detection threshold °C | Mean (SD) | 30.7 (0.7) | 30.6 (0.9) | 30.6 (0.8) | 30.8 (0.5) | 31.0 (0.4) | 0.43 |
| Median (IQR) | 30.9 (30.4 to 31.1) | 30.8 (30.3 to 31.1) | 30.8 (30.3 to 31.1) | 30.8 (30.6 to 31.1) | 31.0 (30.8 to 31.3) | ||
| Warm detection threshold °C | Mean (SD) | 33.9 (1.2) | 34.6 (1.7) | 33.8 (0.9) | 34.1 (1.1) | 33.2 (0.5) | 0.01* |
| Median (IQR) | 33.5 (33.1 to 34.3) | 34.1 (33.5 to 35.9) | 33.5 (33.2 to 34.0) | 33.9 (33.3 to 35.0) | 33.1 (32.9 to 33.2) | ||
| Cold pain threshold °C | Mean (SD) | 10.0 (9.1) | 9.7 (10.8) | 9.2 (9.4) | 12.3 (9.0) | 10.0 (6.7) | 0.81 |
| Median (IQR) | 8.0 (0.7 to 17.7) | 3.9 (0.0 to 21.8) | 7.3 (0.0 to 15.1) | 14.6 (3.0 to 19.1) | 11.3 (3.1 to 15.3) | ||
| Threshold not reached | N (%) | 27 (39) | 8 (57.1) | 14 (45.2) | 3 (25.0) | 2 (16.7) | 0.12 |
| Heat pain threshold °C | Mean (SD) | 45.9 (4.2) | 43.2 (5.4) | 46.9 (3.7) | 45.9 (4.0) | 46.2 (3.2) | 0.051** |
| Median (IQR) | 47.2 (42.2 to 50.0) | 41.7 (38.5 to 49.3) | 47.7 (44.6 to 50.0) | 46.9 (41.8 to 50.0) | 47.1 (43.2 to 49.3) | ||
| Threshold not reached | N (%) | 28 (41) | 6 (42.9) | 16 (51.6) | 4 (33.3) | 2 (16.7) | 0.20 |
| Method of Levels (MLE) | |||||||
| Cold detection threshold °C | Mean (SD) | 30.8 (1.2) | 30.5 (1.4) | 30.6 (1.4) | 31.0 (0.6) | 31.2 (0.4) | 0.29 |
| Median (IQR) | 31.2 (30.4 to 31.5) | 31.0 (29.9 to 31.5) | 31.2 (30.4 to 31.5) | 31.3 (30.4 to 31.5) | 31.4 (31.2 to 31.5) | ||
| Number of stimuli | Mean (SD) | 11 (3) | 11 (4) | 11 (3) | 10 (3) | 12 (3) | 0.24 |
| Median (IQR) | 10 (9 to 12) | 11 (9 to 13) | 11 (9 to 12) | 9 (8 to 11) | 12 (9 to 14) | ||
| Warm detection threshold °C | Mean (SD) | 33.6 (1.0) | 33.7 (1.1) | 33.7 (0.9) | 33.6 (1.2) | 33.1 (0.7) | 0.21 |
| Median (IQR) | 33.6 (32.9 to 34.1) | 33.4 (32.8 to 34.4) | 33.9 (33.1 to 34.1) | 33.4 (32.6 to 34.0) | 32.8 (32.4 to 33.9) | ||
| Number of stimuli | Mean (SD) | 9 (3) | 10 (3) | 9 (3) | 9 (2) | 10 (2) | 0.25 |
| Median (IQR) | 9 (7 to 11) | 10 (8 to 12) | 8 (7 to 11) | 8 (7 to 10) | 10 (9 to 12) | ||
ANOVA test for continuous data and Chi squared test for categorical data were used to test differences between the four age groups
*Post-hoc Bonferroni correction: 8–9 year old versus 14–17 years old; p = 0.01
**Post-hoc Bonferroni correction: 8–9 year old versus 10–11 years old; p = 0.04