Women experiencing autoimmune conditions are up to 74% more likely than men to be told their symptoms are psychological or psychosomatic, according to a study by the University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia. This gender divide also extends to the time taken to receive a diagnosis and treatment.
The research, published in The Lancet eClinicalMedicine journal, involved over 6,600 individuals with autoimmune conditions, predominantly women from the UK. Researchers found that 43% of women reported being told their condition was due to a psychiatric cause, compared to 33% of men. Additionally, 34% of women reported symptoms being misdiagnosed as psychosomatic, compared to 22% of men.
After accounting for factors such as age, disease group, continent, and household finances, the study indicated women were 46% more likely to report a psychiatric misdiagnosis and 74% more likely to report a psychosomatic misdiagnosis than men. Women also reported significantly longer periods between symptom onset and diagnosis, with the most frequent time for women being one to two years, while for men it was less than three months.
Melanie Sloan, a lead author and researcher at Cambridge and UEA, stated that these misdiagnoses can cause long-lasting damage to women's trust in doctors and their self-esteem. She highlighted the importance of not automatically assuming symptoms are psychological and for doctors to believe patients, even when symptoms are not visible.