Women were less likely than men to be offered intensive treatments such as surgery or strong painkillers, a new review has found. While men and women are often treated differently by healthcare systems, the researchers noted that it is not clear whether these differences put either sex at a disadvantage.
Sex differences are evident throughout medicine and play a key role in the diagnosis and management of patients. Researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland found visible differences in the way men and women are treated.
“While the direction of the findings was not a surprise, the consistency was”, said Miriam Veenhuizen, honorary lecturer at St Andrews School of Medicine.
Researchers analysed 41 studies published between 2018 and 2023 and found the same pattern in cardiology, surgery, transplant medicine and emergency care.
Women suffering from heart failure, heart attack and tachycardia were more likely to be managed conservatively with medication compared with invasive procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention.
Among patients with Parkinson’s disease, men were more likely to be referred for deep brain stimulation devices, an implantable device used to manage symptoms. Women were also less likely to receive a liver transplant or be referred to surgery.
“For clinicians, the findings are a prompt to check whether treatment is being offered on clinical grounds rather than assumption,” said Andrew O’Malley, co-lead of the study.
What is behind this difference?
While the trend was consistent across studies, the reasons behind it remain unclear.
“It’s not entirely clear why this is happening, but it is likely because women were under-represented in clinical trials until recent decades, so many guidelines rest on data from men,” said Veenhuizen.
The researchers called for further research to understand whether these differences reflect legitimate variations in clinical practice or wider inequalities, and to ensure patients receive equitable care.
