A University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia study published in Lancet eClinicalMedicine found women with autoimmune conditions are substantially more likely than men to be told their symptoms are psychological and to wait much longer for diagnosis and treatment. The survey of more than 6,600 people, mostly women from the UK, found 43% of women reported being told their condition had a psychiatric cause versus 33% of men, and 34% of women reported psychosomatic misdiagnosis versus 22% of men. After adjusting for age, disease group, continent and household finances, women were 46% more likely to report a psychiatric misdiagnosis and 74% more likely to report a psychosomatic misdiagnosis than men. Nearly a quarter of women in the study reported autoimmune thyroid disease and one in seven reported systemic lupus; men most often reported rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis and antiphospholipid syndrome. Researchers also found men most frequently received a diagnosis in under three months while women most frequently waited one to two years. Lead author Melanie Sloan said such misdiagnoses can cause long-lasting damage to women's trust in doctors and self-esteem, and the authors warned historical biases that position females as less credible reporters of symptoms may persist.
