Big op, big pain... for men

(File photo, with simulated medical data) Women tend to be in greater pain after relatively minor surgery such as diagnostic procedures and biopsies.

(File photo, with simulated medical data) Women tend to be in greater pain after relatively minor surgery such as diagnostic procedures and biopsies.

Published Jun 13, 2014

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London - Men experience more pain after major surgery than women, scientists claim.

In contrast, women tend to be in greater pain after relatively minor surgery such as diagnostic procedures and biopsies, according to research.

Experts suggested the results could be explained by the fact women are more likely to live with conditions that cause chronic pain, so a small amount of additional pain had a disproportionate effect.

Researchers at the Medical University of Graz, Austria, interviewed 10 200 patients, 24 hours after their operations.

Their findings suggested gender did not matter when all types of surgery were combined and analysed as a whole.

However, after arranging data according to different kinds of surgeries, the sexes showed significantly different results.

Men were found to be 27 percent more likely to experience a greater number of moderate pain episodes after major vascular and orthopaedic surgery.

But women were 34 percent more likely to report higher pain ratings after minor procedures.

Presenting their findings at the Euroanaesthesia meeting in Stockholm, the researchers said: “Gender differences on pain perception are still heavily disputed.

“Our data does not definitely clarify this issue; however, based on our findings it can be presumed that the type (and severity) of surgery may play a pivotal role.” - Daily Mail

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