Medicus, Vol. 33 No. 2 Zdravlje žene, 2024.
Review article
Women and Chronic Pain
Mirjana Lončarić - Katušin
Abstract
Chronic pain is a major public health issue whose patients face a substantially compromised quality of life. Epidemiological studies have documented a greater prevalence of chronic pain in women compared to men, affecting between 20-40% of adults. In the study of chronic pain ailments, a prevalence of 45% was documented in women and 31% in men. Differences in this prevalence between the sexes can be attributed to variances in sex hormone production, anatomy, neuromuscular control and inflammatory response. In pain research, gender differences should be considered, and awareness raised on the contrasts between the sexes regarding pain response and pharmacological/non-pharmacological treatment methods. Identifying these differences in experimental and clinical pain and personalizing its treatment would enable the improvement of quality of life for women suffering from pain.
Keywords
pain; gender differences; pain perception; opioid analgesics
Hrčak ID:
328510
URI
Publication date:
27.2.2025.
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