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Study Maps Global Pain, Finding Women Report More Than Men
Researchers looked at what more than six million people in 118 countries said about their pain.
They compared pain in 11 parts of the body.
Women reported more pain than men in every area.
The biggest differences were for face pain, headaches and stomach pain.
Pain often rose through adulthood and reached its highest level before or around later adulthood, depending on the body part.
Some kinds of pain, such as stomach pain and headaches, peaked at younger ages.
Back pain was the most common pain in the study, while face pain was the least common.
People in lower-income countries had more pain in later life than people in wealthier countries.
The researchers said factors they measured explained less of this pain in poorer regions, so other causes may be involved.
Researchers analyzed self-reported pain data from more than 6.1 million people in 118 countries, covering ages 5 to 100 and above.
Women reported more pain than men across all 11 body areas studied, with the largest gaps in facial pain, headaches and abdominal pain.
Pain in most body areas rose most sharply before age 55, then declined in older age; lower-body pain peaked at age 75 or later.
Back pain affected about 40% of people and was the most common type measured, while facial pain affected about 2%.
The study found more late-life pain in lower-income countries; the factors examined explained less of the pain burden there than in North America and Europe.
- Who
- Researchers analyzing self-reported pain data from more than 6.1 million people.
- What
- A global study found women reported more pain than men across 11 body areas and identified differences in pain by age and income level.
- Where
- 118 countries.
- When
- The study analyzed reported pain across ages 5 to 100 and above; the article does not state when it was published.
- Why
- To map global patterns in physical pain using people's reports rather than relying only on medical diagnoses.
Key facts
- Publication
- Nature Medicine
- People included
- More than 6.1 million
- Countries included
- 118
- Body areas compared
- 11
- Largest reported gender gaps
- Women were 83% more likely to report facial pain, 74% more likely to report headaches, and 60% more likely to report stomach or abdominal pain.
- Most and least common pain
- Back pain affected about 40% of people; facial pain affected roughly 2%.
- Age patterns
- Abdominal pain peaked around age 23 and headaches around age 34; lower-body pain peaked at age 75 or later.
- Regional factors
- Smoking, obesity and low income explained up to 27% of pain burden in North America and Europe, compared with around 12% in poorer regions.
Sources
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