Men and women react differently when ill

Men and women react differently when they are ill and doctors need to know how the symptoms vary, say researchers.

The study led by Professor Giovannella Baggio of Italy's Padua University Hospital, suggested that when men have a heart attack, chest pain that radiates down the left arm is the standard symptom, while women display nausea and lower abdominal pain, the Daily Express reported.

Professor Giovannella Baggio told the publication that women often do not receive the treatment they need.

She said that at the dawn of the third millennium medical researchers still know very little about gender-specific differences.

The research was published in the journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.