Gender disparities in pain perception and rare disease diagnosis

A global study involving 6 million people across 118 countries has revealed significant gender differences in pain perception. Published in Nature Medicine, the research indicates that women report higher pain levels in eleven different body areas, including the head, face, abdomen, and neck. Specifically, women are 83% more likely to report facial pain, 74% more likely to suffer from headaches, and 60% more likely to experience abdominal pain than men.

The study also highlights how socioeconomic factors and healthcare access influence these patterns. Furthermore, women with rare diseases face unique challenges, including a diagnostic delay that averages 5.4 years—approximately 46% longer than the delay experienced by men. Many women report being misdiagnosed or having their physical symptoms dismissed as psychological issues, with 53% stating their symptoms were not taken seriously or were attributed to stress.

Beyond clinical diagnosis, women often bear a disproportionate burden of caregiving for family members with rare diseases. In one German study, 83.2% of caregivers were mothers, and nearly 90% of these caregivers reported clinically elevated psychological distress.