Women More Likely Than Males to Have Autoimmune Disease Misdiagnosed as Psychosomatic Condition

A study has found females with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than males to have their autoimmune disease misdiagnosed as a psychiatric or psychosomatic condition. The study also found that females are more likely to face delays in getting a correct diagnosis and, hence. the right treatment.

In the study, researchers analyzed the reported diagnostic experiences of 6,607 people with autoimmune diseases and found 43 percent of females reported their autoimmune symptoms had previously been misattributed to a psychiatric cause, compared with 33 percent of males. In addition, 34 percent of females were also more likely to report having their symptoms misdiagnosed as being psychosomatic (physical symptoms were caused or worsened by psychological factors) compared with 22 percent of males. And, after accounting for factors, including age, disease group, continent and household finances, the researchers found females were almost 50 percent more likely to report having received a psychiatric misdiagnosis, and nearly 75 percent were more likely to report a psychosomatic misdiagnosis than males. Reports of being misdiagnosed with a different physical disease were slightly higher among males than females (48 percent vs. 44 percent).

What’s more, the researchers found females reported longer periods between the onset of symptoms and receiving their diagnosis, as well as more healthcare consultations. Among males, the most frequently reported time to diagnosis was less than three months, whereas among females it was one to two years.

According to Shaista Tayabali, co-author and a patient activist suffering from lupus and living in Cambridge, England, “The differences between the sexes in misdiagnoses for people with autoimmune diseases are stark. The fact that females reported higher rates of psychiatric and psychosomatic misdiagnoses than males, yet reported lower misdiagnoses for other physical diseases, suggests that historical gender biases remain a challenging aspect of the diagnostic journey. Although labels such as hysteria are outdated, and fortunately rarely used nowadays, as women, we still often have a harder time having our symptoms believed and therefore addressed accurately.”