Study finds women with autoimmune diseases more likely to have symptoms dismissed

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  A study found that one in three women with autoimmune diseases said their symptoms had been dismissed as psychological.

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  Women were nearly 50 per cent more likely than men to have symptoms attributed to a psychiatric disorder and 75 per cent more likely to have them blamed on stress or anxiety.

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  The research, by the universities of Cambridge and East Anglia, was based on more than 6,600 patients and published in eClinicalMedicine.

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  Women also faced longer waits between their first symptoms and diagnosis, sometimes up to two years, and attended more medical appointments than men.

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  A woman from Nottingham said doctors dismissed her swollen foot before she later suffered a life-threatening blood clot and was left with permanent lung damage.

Who

Researchers at the universities of Cambridge and East Anglia studied patients with autoimmune diseases. The findings concern women, who were more likely than men to report psychological misdiagnoses.

What

The study found that women with autoimmune diseases were more likely to have symptoms attributed to psychological causes.

When

Published on October 12, 2026. The study’s publication date is not stated.

Where

The study involved patients with autoimmune diseases; the countries where they were treated are not stated. Sarah Bassra is from Nottingham.

Why

The article says autoimmune diseases can be difficult to diagnose because early symptoms are often vague and have many possible causes. The study suggests gender bias may also contribute to misdiagnoses.

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