Women suffer more pain than men

By Hannah Thomas  on Tuesday 24 January 2012

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Rex Features

New research suggests women feel more pain than men across a range of medical conditions.

Researchers found that women reported more intense pain than men in 14 of 47 disease categories including circulation, arthritis, respiratory and digestive problems.

There were also marked differences with bone and muscle discomfort, severe nasal problems, neck and joint pain and high blood pressure.

'We wouldn't have expected such a difference,' says lead author Dr Atul Butte, chief of systems medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Previous studies have shown the difference between may be due to oestrogen in women dampening pain receptors, enabling them to endure more pain.

Some experts alternatively believe that men feel under pressure not to show their emotions so they might be less willing to admit they are in pain.

Dr Irene Wu, assistant clinical professor of anaesthesiology at UCLA Medical Centre says: 'Women take pain in a lot more and for longer periods of time, so when it does accumulate, it may seem more severe than men's pain.'

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Tuesday 24 January 2012

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