NEW DELHI: Women have a greater burden of painful conditions, including low back pain, headache disorders, and other musculoskeletal disorders, compared with men, but despite that millions of women globally find that their chronic pain remains untreated, says a report in The Lancet.
The article published in The Lancet Rheumatology said that medical gaslighting of women's pain has a long history.
Medical gaslighting - when a patient feels that their symptoms are inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by a healthcare professional - can have detrimental effects, from increasing morbidity and mortality, to symptom distress and worsening mental health.
Women are being left behind not only in pain research but also in pain management, it said.
"The evidence supports this notion, with women more likely to be referred to psychiatrists and psychologists, whereas men are more likely to undergo investigations for an underlying biological cause," it said.
It said every day, millions of women globally experience chronic pain, but many remain untreated.
"As well as a higher prevalence of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, women are more sensitive to pain and more likely to develop chronic pain," it added.
Quoting the Global Burden of Disease 2021 report, the article said women have a greater burden of painful conditions, including low back pain, headache disorders, and other musculoskeletal disorders, compared with men.
"A huge knowledge gap remains about the psychological and social aspects that contribute to a patient's pain experience," it added.
It further said women are thought to be more likely to seek medical care or to consult a general practitioner earlier for pain.
However, the evidence behind this assumption is not conclusive, especially for back pain or headaches. When women do seek medical care they are less likely to receive treatment or have to wait longer for treatment, it added.
The article said that although challenges exist in research, diagnosis, and treatment of pain, immediate improvements can be made for the treatment of women with chronic pain.
It suggested that healthcare professionals need to first listen to women and upskill themselves in the appropriate management of pain using existing tools. Chronic pain is a complex condition, and every patient should receive a comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation to investigate all potential contributors.
"It is time to start listening to women and their pain experiences. With more inclusive research, and a move towards gender responsiveness, not simply sex disaggregation, we are confident that the root causes of these disparities in people with chronic pain can be eliminated," the article said.
