Study Highlights Gender Bias in Autoimmune Disease Diagnosis
Women are disproportionately told their symptoms are psychological, leading to delayed diagnoses and potentially severe health consequences, according to new research.
New research indicates that women with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than men to have their symptoms dismissed as psychological, contributing to diagnostic delays and potentially serious health outcomes.
A study involving over 6,600 patients with autoimmune conditions found that women were nearly 50% more likely than men to have their symptoms attributed to a psychiatric disorder and 75% more likely to be told they were caused by stress or anxiety. In contrast, men were slightly more likely to be misdiagnosed with another physical illness.
Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis, occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues. Early symptoms can be vague and include fatigue, pain, and sleep problems, which can be easily misinterpreted or overlooked. These symptoms may also fluctuate or be mistaken for hormonal changes in women, further complicating diagnosis.
Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and East Anglia observed that women with autoimmune diseases experienced longer delays between symptom onset and diagnosis, sometimes up to two years, and attended more medical appointments than men. This suggests a pattern of medical misogyny where women's health concerns are not taken as seriously as men's.
Sarah Bassra, a 36-year-old woman from Nottingham, shared her experience of having her symptoms dismissed for years. Despite a family history of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), an autoimmune condition that increases the risk of blood clots, her symptoms including fatigue, joint pain, vertigo, and a swollen foot were attributed to vitamin D deficiency, anxiety, and plantar fasciitis. She was advised to wear orthopedic trainers and sent home without a thorough examination, even when she suggested the possibility of a blood clot after long flights.
Two months after her foot diagnosis, Bassra suffered a pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening blockage in the lungs caused by a blood clot. Even then, she reported reluctance from medical professionals to test for Hughes syndrome (APS). She was eventually diagnosed but not initially prescribed blood-thinning medication, leading to a second pulmonary embolism a year later. Bassra's lungs have suffered permanent damage as a result.
"I just feel like someone should have looked through my records and pieced it together," Bassra stated, adding that she believes a man with her symptoms might have received faster treatment. She now brings her partner to GP appointments to ensure her health concerns are taken seriously.
Experts emphasize the importance of open-mindedness in clinical practice. While acknowledging that psychological symptoms can sometimes coexist with or be a natural response to autoimmune diseases, they stress that persistent, evolving, or multi-system symptoms should prompt clinicians to consider underlying autoimmune conditions. The study's findings, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, underscore the vulnerability of women to psychological misdiagnoses within the diagnostic journey.