From NBC News: Scientists who study chronic pain have long puzzled over a particular type of scenario: A man and woman get into a car accident and sustain the same injuries. But the woman experiences long-lasting pain, while the man recovers more quickly.
Historically, some doctors have dismissed these differences as women exaggerating their pain or being unable to tolerate the same discomfort as men. But studies have repeatedly found that women are more likely to experience chronic pain in general and that their pain lasts longer, on average.
A study published Friday in the journal Science Immunology offers a clue as to why: Men’s immune systems may have a better mechanism for shutting off pain, likely because of their higher testosterone levels.
The researchers surveyed 245 people with traumatic injuries and had them rate their level of pain. They reassessed over a period of nearly three months and found that men experienced faster pain resolution than women, despite similar pain severity.
Blood tests showed that the men had higher levels of a molecule called interleukin-10, which switches off pain signals to the brain. Testosterone increased the production of interleukin-10 from white blood cells, said Geoffroy Laumet, one of the study’s authors, demonstrating that the difference in pain tolerance is biological.
“What we show is, it’s a real biological mechanism from the immune cells. It’s not in the mind,” said Laumet, who is an associate professor of physiology at Michigan State University.
Ann Gregus, assistant professor at Virginia Tech and an expert in treating chronic pain, said more needs to be done to help women, who tend to “hide their pain” to avoid being perceived as weak or ineffective.
Gregus said the new research is “building upon a series of studies that have been done to show that men tend to use their innate immune system more effectively than women.”
Read more at NBC News
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