A recent US study has found that many black patients and women with chronic pain receive inadequate treatment for pain while treated by a primary care doctor. 

The Researchers looked at almost 200 patients with chronic pain and found that black patients were often prescribed fewer pain medications than white patients and that doses for pain medications recevied by women were usually too weak to manage chronic pain.

On average, white patients were taking 2.6 pain medications compared to black patients who were taking 1.8.  Only 21 percent of women were prescriped strong opioid drugs compared to 30 percent of men, the investigation found. 

The study authors also noted that inadequate control of chornic pain leads to sleep problems, disability and depression