Women and Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Autoimmune diseases are a category of diseases in which the body attacks on itself, its organs or tissues. About 80 different types of autoimmune diseases have been discovered to date (Vojdani, Lambert). There is a huge sex disparity when it comes to autoimmune disorder between men and women, and some of the reason for that gap can be attributed to hormones (Kim, Tingen, Woodruff), (Baum, Grunberg 1991), (Walsh, Rau 2000). Another reason why there is such a difference in occurrence of these disorders is also due to sexism and bias in the medical field, and the lack of female representation in studies, trials, and research (Jahn, Bornhost, Gunther, Brand). This creates a major knowledge gap in diagnosing, treating, and potentially preventing autoimmune diseases.