Women recover from anaesthetic more quickly than men
Women emerge more quickly than men from general anaesthesia, but have a slower return to former health after surgery and are more likely to suffer side effects, according to an Australian study in the 24 March 2001 issue of the British Medical Journal.
Researchers at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital studied 241 men and 222 women for 3 days after undergoing surgery, to identify differences in the quality of recovery between the sexes.
They found that women emerged significantly more quickly than men from general anaesthesia but their overall quality of recovery was worse. Women had a 25 per cent slower rate of return to their preoperative health status and were more likely to have minor side effects to the anaesthetic, such as nausea and vomiting, headache, backache and sore throat.
Underlying physical differences between men and women may help to explain these findings, say the authors. For example, nausea and vomiting after the operation has been related to the phases of the menstrual cycle and women have a higher incidence of migraine and tension headaches generally (a risk factor for ‘after operation’ headache). The reporting of backache may also be attributed to differences in the anatomy between men and women.
Researchers said that the higher incidence of some of the side effects among women might also be due to a greater willingness on the part of women, rather than men, to report them. But because participants in the study were questioned directly about the specific effects, it makes it more likely that the differences, which have previously received limited attention, are genuine and important.
Last Reviewed: 02 April 2001
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