Extra Nerve Fibers May Heighten Female Pain Perception
|
|
Women appear to have a greater density of nerve receptors than men, suggesting that they are constitutionally more sensitive to pain, researches here reported.
Women averaged double the number of receptors compared with men in a certain area of facial skin, according to a study conducted by Bradon J. Wilhelmi, M.D., and colleagues at the Plastic Surgery Institute of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
If the results of this study are confirmed, it could represent a physiological explanation for previous reports that women have higher pain perception and lower pain tolerance compared with men, the researchers reported in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The basis of this phenomenon has not been understood, said the authors. Some have suggested the reason could be psychosocial, while others have offered biological explanations including differences in receptor action potentials, integration of central nervous system signals, and biochemical signaling properties.
To investigate whether a difference in nerve receptor density might account for the phenomenon, Dr. Wilhelmi and colleagues tested the skin of 20 cadavers, half men and half women. One centimeter square skin samples directly overlying the infraorbital nerve foramen were harvested, prepared with immunohistochemistry, and examined under a high-powered microscope.
The nerve fibers in each sample were counted by a researcher who was blinded to the gender. The average fiber density in female samples was 34 ± 19 fibers per square centimeter. The average density in male samples was 17 ± 8 fibers per square centimeter. (P=0.038.)
“Although preliminary and limited in scope, these findings favor a physical (organic) rather than a psychosocial explanation for more pronounced pain perception in female patients,” the study authors concluded.
However, they acknowledged that the area of skin they tested may not be representative, and they cautioned that “a larger sample size would be desirable before drawing any definitive conclusions.”
If the results are confirmed, “This study has serious implications about how we treat women after surgery as well as women who experience chronic pain,” said Dr. Wilhelmi. “Because women have more nerve receptors, they may experience pain more powerfully than men, requiring different surgical techniques, treatments, or medicine dosages to help manage their pain and make them feel comfortable.”
Primary source: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Print Version
Tell-a-Friend comments powered by Disqus
