Women report higher pain intensity at a lower level of inflammation after knee surgery compared with men.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction and objectives

We previously found that women report more pain after knee arthroscopic procedures than men. It remains unclear whether this is due to different biochemical responses or nociceptive mechanisms.

Methods

We analyzed acute pain-related inflammatory markers in a clinical model of patient self-reported pain immediately after knee surgery. To simultaneously measure 92 inflammatory biomarkers, we used the proximity extension assay with the Proseek Multiplex Inflammation I panel (Olink Bioscience, Uppsala, Sweden). Knee surgery was performed under general anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil. Analgesic drugs were only administered on patient request.

Results

Women were 4.9 times more likely to report moderate or severe pain than men (95% confi

SUBMITTER: Solheim N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5741301 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature