Auto-Immune Disease- why does it affect more women?

Exploring this topic of autoimmune diseases comes with a price and that price is frustration. Autoimmune disease affects over 7% of the population in the United States and, of that percentage, 80% are women.

The real question then becomes, why do autoimmune disorders more commonly affect women rather than men?

Some hypotheses have been suggested with some research conducted. There is a hypothesis that women’s immune systems respond differently than men’s. It was found that women tend to have larger amounts of T-cells, the cells responsible for immune responses, so the thought is that the likelihood of mistakes within the immune system may increase. Some other hypotheses note that sex hormones and varying levels could possibly be related. Another hypothesis focuses on genes.

Autoimmune disorders affect more women than men. We know this and there is significant data to back this up. This is the unfeeling gender bias of autoimmune disease. Autoimmune disorders affect more women than men. But, there is another gender bias that is worth mentioning and worth exploring. The more emotional, societally defined, and implicit (meaning strongly held beliefs that we are not even aware of, but can define our actions and thoughts) bias that has become part of the experiences of millions of women. There is a gender bias present in the medical community and it often manifests on two extremes of a spectrum.

One, women are not taken seriously or listened to in regard to their health concerns. Or, two, women are considered to be the more gentler sex and therefore are weaker and more susceptible to disease. This oscillation between extremes is incredibly damaging and could have larger repercussions than we know.

Now the question really becomes if women are not listened to by their medical professionals, how many women have gone undiagnosed and have no clarity on the symptoms they experience? And, if women are considered to be a weaker gender, how many of them have gotten an incorrect autoimmune disorder diagnosis because there hasn’t been proper exploration and just assumptions?

There are nuances to autoimmune disease that demand testing. For example, some doctors will not agree to test for thyroid antibodies, because T3, T4 levels will tell them enough. But, the antibodies are essential for determining between hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's. And that determines a lot of lifestyle factors! It is essential for us to know.

There is also another factor that we should discuss: the racial bias. Certain autoimmune diseases are more common in certain ethnic and racial groups. For example, lupus tends to affect more African-American and Hispanic people when compared to caucasians. There is some argument that the differences in genes, microbiomes, etc. could be the cause.

But, there is an issue that I potentially see buried here. We know as society that a racial bias, just like a gender bias, is present in the medical community. We need to consider those factors in relation to how often autoimmune disease is diagnosed. If there is a racial bias present in the medical community, how many people have seen their medical provider, but never been officially diagnosed or even had their symptoms taken seriously? Couldn’t that skew the data and potently increase the prevalence of autoimmune disorders? And wouldn’t higher prevalences of autoimmune disorders warrant even more funding and research?

As a society, we need to do better and confront the idea that we have been approaching health in a biased way. Autoimmune disease as a whole deserves more research and exploration, especially in relation to the gender bias, the racial bias, and the increasing prevalence.

Follow along to learn and explore with me. Have an autoimmune disorder and need support? Book an appointment with me by clicking here.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice. All information, content and material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment.