[Pain in neonates].

Recent research has lead to the conclusion that neonates and premature children do experience pain when undergoing painful procedures and that they should receive appropriate analgesics. It has earlier been argued that opioids should not be given to neonates because of their potentially dangerous adverse effects, e.g. respiratory depression and drug dependence. New reports emphasise the beneficial effects of proper analgesic treatment prior to surgery. Studies show that early pain experiences could have severe long-term effects, including altered sensitivity to pain. These effects appear to be different in neonates born at term compared to premature children.