• C Norrbrink Budh, I Lund, C Hultling, R Levi, L Werhagen, P Ertzgaard, and T Lundeberg.
• Spinalis SCI Unit, Karolinska Hospital and Faculty of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
• Spinal Cord. 2003 Feb 1;41(2):122-8.

Study DesignOut of a population of 456 patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI), 130 having pain were selected after matching, based on gender, age, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment grade and level of lesion.ObjectiveTo investigate whether gender differences with regard to pain perception and prevalence exist in a population of patients following spinal cord injury.SettingSpinalis SCI Unit (out-patient clinic), Stockholm, Sweden.Method130 patients suffering from pain were assessed over a 12-month period in a yearly health control.ResultsSCI women had a higher prevalence of nociceptive pain than men and their use of analgesics was greater. However, no differences between the sexes could be seen regarding pain and localization, onset, distribution, factors affecting pain, number of painful body regions, pain descriptors, ratings of pain intensities or in pain and life satisfaction.ConclusionThis study showed that SCI men and women describe their pain very similarly. However, SCI women had a higher prevalence of nociceptive pain than men and their use of opiates and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was greater.

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