Women are ‘twice as likely as men to get headache’

WOMEN are far more prone to headaches and depression than men, research has found.

A report analysed attitudes towards physical and mental health across Europe.

It said: ‘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 headaches, compared with 8.2 per cent of men.

Women in Portugal and France came off worse, 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, more intensely and more often than men do.

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 affected by migraines.

Other studies have suggested a migraine can be triggered by a drop in oestrogen levels, which normally occurs before a period.

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

The European Social Survey is supported in Britain by the Economic and Social Research Council. Released today, it analyses attitudes to health among 40,000 people across 21 countries.

Britain had the second highest number of binge drinkers after Portugal, where 17.5 per cent of men admitted bingeing on alcohol at least weekly, compared with 5.2 per cent of women.

In Britain, the figures were 11.2 per cent for men and 4 per cent for women.