Women ‘more likely to be told autoimmune conditions are psychological’

Almost a quarter of the women surveyed had autoimmune thyroid disease with an underactive or overactive thyroid. Photograph: Bsip Sa/Alamy

Women with autoimmune conditions are up to 74% more likely than men to be told their symptoms are psychological or psychosomatic, and face much longer waits for a diagnosis and treatment, a study suggests.

Hundreds of millions of people – about one in 10 globally – are affected by autoimmune conditions, which can cause a range of health issues including fatigue, muscle pain and rashes.