One factor that has been largely overlooked in arthritis treatment is gender. When it comes to health care, equality between men and women may not be best. Yet the physical exams to check joints, the diagnostic tests to evaluate what’s going on inside the body, and most medications and surgical procedures are generally standard, regardless of gender. Sure, some prescription medications take body weight into consideration, but not the gender of the patients of arthritis. But that may be particularly important in explaining the variations in the arthritis pain experienced by patients of arthritis is gender. Research suggests that there can be substantial differences in the pain experienced by men and women suffering from arthritis.
Studies have pointed out that women use more pain coping strategies in the face of excruciating pain, especially those that assist emotional regulation. Further, men showed a much greater carry over effect of intensifying pain on negative mood the following day.
These results suggest that while women may experience more intense pain, they may be better able to limit its emotional consequences than men. Gender-related variations in pain, pain coping, and pain behavior are potentially quite important because they have implications for the management of arthritis pain. By taking into account gender differences, arthritis health professionals may be better able to understand and treat persistent arthritis pain.
A woman may develop osteoarthritis (OA) 10 years later than a man, on average, but may experience greater muscle and joint pain – and not find relief in pain medications. A man with an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus or thyroid disease, may be in the minority, but may be more severely affected than the scores of women who have those conditions.
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Gender appears to play a major role in a person's susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. Women are about three times more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, the risk of arthritis is increased immediately after delivery and in women who have never been pregnant.
Among women, hormonal risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) include age at menarche, progestin use, oral contraceptive use, termination of pregnancy, lactation and short fertile period. Epidemiologic studies do not consistently show that smoking confers an increased risk among women. Indeed, even a protective effect of smoking on risk for developing RA has been described among women, though it is more consistent with men.
At arthritisxl.com, know more arthritis, which has become one of the most common diseases in the world. With us, identify the risk factors associated with arthritis.
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