Women Treated Less Often Than Men in Trauma Units
If you're a woman hurt in a serious car accident, you'd be better off, well, being a man. That's because a new study has found that women with severe injuries are less likely to be treated in a trauma unit, where they have a better chance of surviving.
According to newswise.com, 98,000 men and women with serious injuries in Canada were followed -- and only 49% of the women were transferred to trauma centers while over 63% of the men were.
At the same time, even when they remained at hospitals without trauma units, women less often received trauma care than men.
Study authors weren't sure what to make of this, but it does follow the old scientific model of trying out research on treatments and drugs on men, not women (and also why more women die of heart attacks because their symptoms are not the same as men's).
On top of all that, more money is spent on research for men. A study in 2000 alleged that women were less likely to volunteer for research trials, and that might be one reason for not including them more. But happily, that trend has started to reverse. Still, questions remain on how to differentiate between how men and women may respond to the same meds or treatment, and whether they need to watch out for the same symptoms.
Women's Health Research reports that women who smoke suffer more cardiovascular damage than men, and three out of four people with autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are women, while 40,000 more women than men have a stroke every year. Surprisingly, or not, women suffer more from pain than men.
So, women, next time you're in an ER (hopefully, not any time soon), demand the same treatment as your husband.
According to newswise.com, 98,000 men and women with serious injuries in Canada were followed -- and only 49% of the women were transferred to trauma centers while over 63% of the men were.
At the same time, even when they remained at hospitals without trauma units, women less often received trauma care than men.
Study authors weren't sure what to make of this, but it does follow the old scientific model of trying out research on treatments and drugs on men, not women (and also why more women die of heart attacks because their symptoms are not the same as men's).
On top of all that, more money is spent on research for men. A study in 2000 alleged that women were less likely to volunteer for research trials, and that might be one reason for not including them more. But happily, that trend has started to reverse. Still, questions remain on how to differentiate between how men and women may respond to the same meds or treatment, and whether they need to watch out for the same symptoms.
Women's Health Research reports that women who smoke suffer more cardiovascular damage than men, and three out of four people with autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are women, while 40,000 more women than men have a stroke every year. Surprisingly, or not, women suffer more from pain than men.
So, women, next time you're in an ER (hopefully, not any time soon), demand the same treatment as your husband.
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