title: Gender differences in pain and its relief.
abstract: There is much evidence to suggest that gender is an important factor in the modulation of pain. Literature data strongly suggest that men and women differ in their responses to pain: they are more variable in women than men, with increased pain sensitivity and many more painful diseases commonly reported among women. Gender differences in pharmacological therapy and non-pharmacological pain interventions have also been reported, but these effects appear to depend on the treatment type and characteristics. It is becoming very evident that gender differences in pain and its relief arise from an interaction of genetic, anatomical, physiological, neuronal, hormonal, psychological and social factors which modulate pain differently in the sexes. Experimental data indicate that both a different modulation of the endogenous opioid system and sex hormones are factors influencing pain sensitivity in males and females. This brief review will examine the literature on sex differences in experimental and clinical pain, focusing on several biological mechanisms implicated in the observed gender-related differences.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento del Farmaco, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pieretti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento del Farmaco, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Giannuario
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento del Farmaco, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Giovannandrea
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento del Farmaco, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marzoli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento del Farmaco, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccaro
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento del Farmaco, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minosi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Neuroscienze, Università di Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Aloisi
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017288:Pain Threshold; D015995:Prevalence; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors