Why do women suffer from autoimmune diseases more than men? A research team from Stanford University thinks it has found the answer.
According to the Autoimmune Association, over 50 million Americans, or 1 in 5, suffer from one or more autoimmune diseases. These are the third most common diseases, trailing behind cancer and heart disease. Women, in particular, are affected; approximately 75 percent of people with autoimmune diseases are women. In fact, autoimmune diseases are among the top 10 leading causes of death among American women. While there are more than 100 autoimmune diseases, common diagnoses include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Lyme disease, and cardiomyopathy.
