Recent studies are now showing that it is more common for women to suffer from chronic pain due to pain-causing illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome than it is in men.
It was a topic of discussion led by Jennifer Kelly from the Atlanta Center for Behavioral Medicine in Georgia, at the American Psychological Association convention which was held in San Diego, California. This discussion was based on recent studies performed by the International Association for the Study of Pain.
There have been many different guesses as to why recurring pain is more common among women than men, among which are topics such as the menstrual cycle’s hormone changes as well as a study from 2008 (published in the Journal of Neuroscience) which examined the over-firing of neurons in certain regions of the brain which can cause permanent damage.
What is now also suspected is deficiencies in vitamin D. The reason this is a suspected cause is that this deficiency is very common among sufferers of pain-causing illnesses such as those mentioned above. Moreover, it is more common for women to experience this deficiency than men – though it should be noted that vitamin D deficiencies are common and increasing in frequency among both men and women.
Sources:
- http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/13/chronic.pain.women/
- http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20031210/lack-of-vitamin-d-linked-to-pain
- http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/05/16/f-health-vitamin-d.html
