Women ‘more likely to be told autoimmune conditions are psychological’
Cambridge University study suggests stark gender divide in misdiagnosis, with women also waiting longer for treatment Women with autoimmune conditions are up to 74% more likely tha
By The Guardian
Women with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than men to say their symptoms were wrongly attributed to psychological causes, a study led by the universities of Cambridge and East Anglia suggests.
Researchers analysed the reported experiences of 6,607 people with autoimmune conditions. The findings showed that 43% of female participants had previously been told their symptoms were linked to a psychiatric cause, compared with 33% of male participants.
Women were also more likely to report being given a psychosomatic explanation, meaning their physical symptoms were attributed to psychological factors. This was reported by 34% of women, compared with 22% of men.
After taking account of age, disease group, continent and household finances, women were almost 50% more likely than men to report a psychiatric misdiagnosis. They were nearly 75% more likely to report a psychosomatic misdiagnosis.
The research also found a difference in the time taken to reach a diagnosis. The most commonly reported timeframe for men was less than three months, while women most often reported waiting between one and two years.
Female participants also reported attending more healthcare consultations before receiving a diagnosis.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks healthy tissue. Symptoms can vary widely and may include fatigue, pain, sleep problems, low mood and skin changes, making some conditions difficult to identify.
Dr Melanie Sloan, from Cambridge’s Department of Public Health and Primary Care and UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said symptoms could sometimes be difficult to explain medically and that diagnosis could take months or years.
The researchers said psychological or mental health explanations could be given too soon when symptoms had not been properly investigated.
The study was published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine. It was based on patients’ accounts of their diagnostic journeys, including previous diagnoses, the number of consultations and the time between symptoms beginning and a formal diagnosis.
Researchers said doctors should consider autoimmune disease before making a psychiatric or psychosomatic diagnosis where symptoms persist, change or affect several parts of the body.