Abuse associated with many diseases in women

Women abused by their partners are more likely to suffer from a long list of medical maladies than other women.

To compare the risk of various diagnoses between women who have suffered violence at the hands of their partners - also called intimate partner violence (IPV), and those who have never suffered this, researchers examined the medical records of 3,568 English speaking women from America and assessed their previous years'history of  IPV through a telephone survey. Amongst these, 242 women reported being abused by their partners, which included husbands and boyfriends.

It was found that abused women were nearly six times more prone to substance abuse and more than three times more likely to have been diagnosed with depression or a sexually transmitted disease. Women who suffered intimate partner violence also had diseases, many of which aren't traditionally connected with violence, including abdominal pain, chest pain, headaches, acid reflux, urinary tract infections and menstrual disorders.

The above findings prove that abuse is associated with much more than cuts and bruises and doctors should take more time to determine if female patients are being abused. Factors such as depression, substance abuse, STDs and cuts and bruises should be seen as possible signs of abuse.