Sex differences in pain in 2 large and diverse US databases

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Pain management
• Sex differences in health

Background:

• Sex differences significantly impact disease susceptibility and progression.
• Understanding sex-based variations in health conditions is critical for effective medical interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and quantify sex differences in pain prevalence.
• Utilize two large, diverse U.S. datasets, All of Us and Epic Cosmos, for comprehensive analysis.

Main Methods:

• Extracted 195 pain concepts from electronic health records across datasets.
• Analyzed prevalence ratios (PRs) to compare pain prevalence between females and males.
• Calculated 95% confidence intervals to determine statistical significance of observed differences.

Main Results:

• A majority of pain concepts (72.9% in All of Us, 82.6% in Epic Cosmos) showed higher prevalence in females.
• Males exhibited higher prevalence in a smaller subset of pain concepts (8.9% in All of Us, 13.3% in Epic Cosmos), primarily in the chest, lower limbs, and inguinal regions.
• Most pain concepts showed no significant sex-based prevalence differences, with only one condition displaying opposing trends between datasets.

Conclusions:

• Females consistently report higher prevalence for most pain concepts across large U.S. populations.
• Findings highlight the necessity for sex-stratified approaches in pain research, prevention, and treatment.
• Emphasizes the importance of considering biological and social factors contributing to sex differences in pain experience.