By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Covid-19 lockdowns appear to have had a bigger impact on women living with chronic pain than men, according to a new study in Europe. Researchers say female patients experienced greater pain severity, as well as more stress, anxiety and financial uncertainty compared to men.

 “Our research suggests that the pandemic may have exacerbated chronic pain problems and some gendered inequalities,” says lead author Kordula Lang-Illievich, MD, from the Medical University of Graz in Austria. “With chronic pain affecting around 20% of the EU adult population, it is vital to understand how people living with chronic pain are being affected by the pandemic and to develop pain management interventions that clearly target women.”

To investigate how the first pandemic lockdown impacted chronic pain patients in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, researchers invited adults taking part in self-help groups who experienced pain for at least one year to complete an online survey in July 2020. Of the 579 people who responded, over 75% were women.

Participants were asked to rate their pain levels before and during the lockdown using the 0-100 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), as well as their pain management, physical activity, social and psychological health.

While the average pain intensity score before the lockdown was similar for men (46.5 on the VAS scale) and women (45), the increase in pain levels during the lockdown was much lower in men (0.8) than women (3.9).

“Our data clearly show that women experienced a higher aggravation of chronic pain during the first lockdown,” said Lang-Illievich. “This is likely to reflect the disproportionate impact of lockdowns on women, especially the extra caregiving responsibilities, rise in domestic violence, and their increased vulnerability to anxiety, depression and acute stress — all of which would be expected to impact pain symptoms.”

There are several limits to the study, including the over-representation of young women, single participants, and those with higher education, as well as the reliance on self-reporting. The research is being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care.