British women ‘twice as likely as men to get a headache’

October 24, 2016

A report in Europe analysed attitudes towards physical and mental health
Women experience chronic pain for longer and more intensely than men
It is suggested that a migraine can be triggered by a drop in oestrogen

Emily Kent Smith for the Daily Mail

Published:
16:55 EST, 23 October 2016

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Updated:
18:01 EST, 23 October 2016

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Women are more likely to suffer from headaches and depression than men, a study has found.

A Europe-wide report analysing attitudes towards physical and mental health found that women were ‘much more likely’ to seek medical help for severe headaches than men.

It adds: ‘For severe headaches we see a strong gender gap, with women much more likely to report this, and percentages in Germany, France and Portugal reporting this condition are more than three times higher than in Ireland.’

In Britain, 15.8 per cent of women described themselves as having chronic headaches compared to 8.2 per cent of men.

Women are more likely to suffer from headaches and depression than men, a study has found (file image)

But women in Portugal and France came off worse, it emerged, with 29.6 per cent and 30.2 per cent respectively reporting headaches.

Previous studies have found that women experience chronic pain, including headaches, for longer and more intensely than men.

American psychologist Dr Jennifer Kelly from the Atlanta Centre for Behavioural Medicine has claimed women were more than two and a half times more likely to be struck by a migraine than men.

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Other studies have suggested that a migraine can be triggered by a drop in oestrogen levels which normally occur just before a period.

When asked about their general health, 14.7 per cent of UK women admitted to having depressive symptoms compared to 10.6 per cent of men.

But the Czech Republic came out highest with 28.6 per cent of women reporting depressive symptoms and 19.1 per cent of men.

The European Social Survey (ESS), which will be released today, analyses attitudes towards health across 21 countries.

When analysing attitudes towards alcohol, the UK had the second highest number of binge drinkers after Portugal

Polling 40,000 people across Europe, it emerged that, across the continent, women report more signs of depression than men.

The ESS, which is supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, found that in Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, over a quarter of women said they experienced depressive symptoms.

When analysing attitudes towards alcohol, the UK had the second highest number of binge drinkers after Portugal.

In Portugal, 17.5 per cent of men admitted to binging on alcohol at least weekly while 5.2 per cent of women said they did the same. In Britain, 11.2 per cent of men reported binging at least weekly and 4 per cent of women.