Study Explains Why Women Face Chronic Pain Risk
News Desk
Islamabad: A molecule once thought to simply calm inflammation may hold the key to why women are more likely than men to develop chronic pain, according to a newly published study.
Researchers have discovered that interleukin-10 (IL-10), an immune system molecule known for reducing inflammation, also directly switches off pain-sensing nerve cells.
The findings suggest that differences in how the immune system functions in men and women could influence how quickly pain fades after injury.
Pain is a common response to injuries such as sprains, surgeries or car accidents, and it typically subsides as tissues heal. However, women are statistically more likely to experience prolonged pain that lingers beyond recovery, sometimes becoming chronic.
For decades, such differences were frequently attributed to psychological, emotional or social factors. As a result, persistent pain in women has often been underestimated or inadequately addressed in clinical care.
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The new research challenges that narrative by pointing to biological mechanisms within the immune system.
Scientists combined laboratory experiments in mice with data from patients treated in emergency rooms after motor vehicle collisions — a common trigger for long-term musculoskeletal pain.
The team found that IL-10 not only reduces inflammation but also directly interacts with pain-sensing nerves to “switch off” pain signals.
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This molecule is primarily produced by monocytes, a type of immune cell that circulates in the bloodstream and moves to injured tissues.
Across both mice and human subjects, males tended to recover from pain more quickly than females. Researchers traced this difference to how monocytes behave after injury. In males, these immune cells produced higher levels of IL-10, accelerating pain resolution.
In females, the IL-10 response was less pronounced.
The study also identified a potential hormonal link. Testosterone appeared to boost IL-10 production in monocytes, suggesting that higher levels of the hormone in males may help promote faster recovery from pain.
The findings offer a biological explanation for sex-based differences in pain recovery and could reshape how chronic pain is understood and treated in the future.
Researchers say further investigation may open the door to therapies that enhance IL-10 activity, potentially improving pain management for both men and women.
