Yet doctors may be more reluctant to give women strong drugs for pain. In a classic study done in 1990 on men and women who'd had coronary artery bypass surgery, men got more doses of narcotic pain relievers, while the women were more likely to get...tranquilizers.
There are a number of possible explanations, says Roger Fillingim, PhD, who researches pain at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Women may have expressed more anxiety, for one thing. Another possibility: "It suggests that women are treated like they may just be hysterical and need to be calmed down," he says.
Even so, government reports from 1990 and 2000 highlight a shocking lack of progress. "The first one showed that women weren't included in studies," Anthony says. "The follow-up showed that women were included, but the data weren't being analyzed for gender differences.".
Isn't that dangerous?
2007-02-25
12:58:53
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5 answers
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asked by
lorrnae
3