Although diseases theoretically equally likely to occur in men and women. However, statistics have shown that women are more prone to some diseases than men. There are women-specific diseases and disorders, but there are also some that are much more common in women than in men.

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases affect more women than men (1).

Lupus

Perhaps the most significant example of disproportionate distribution is systemic lupus. This chronic autoimmune disease affects nine women out of 10 cases.

Lupus comes with a variety of symptoms such as extreme fatigue, weight loss, headaches, skin problems, hair loss, and swelling of the limbs. Lupus also affects many organs. The most common targets being the skin, kidneys, and the heart. The disease usually develops at a young age: between 20 and 40 years. It often takes years before the patient goes to a specialist and get the proper diagnosis.

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is two to three times more common in women than in men. Also, in this case, the first signs of the disease appear in young people between the ages of 20 and 40. As a result of the destruction of the myelin that surrounds the nerve cells, the efficiency of the transmission of the stimulus is impaired.

The disease affects both the nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. The symptoms range from numbness to complete paralysis and loss of vision. Unfortunately, the treatment of the disease is currently limited to relieving symptoms and delaying the progression of the disease.

Celiac Disease

Gluten sensitivity also seems to be a female disease: 60% to 70% of diagnosed patients are women.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is a disorder mainly associated with bloating, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea is more common in women. 65% of diagnosed cases are women.

Depression

According to the available data, women are twice as likely to suffer from depression (2) as men. That fact may be due to hormonal causes: women are more likely than men to have hormonal changes from the time of their first menstrual period through childbirth to menopause.

It should also be kept in mind that women tend to turn to professionals more often than men, and maybe this fact leads to more cases. Also, because of higher life expectancy, women more often face loneliness and sadness later in their life.

STD

According to statistics, STDs are also more of a problem for women.

Because the vaginal mucosa is much more sensitive than the penis, the vagina is much easier to harbor viruses and bacteria. Also, the first symptoms of many STDs (chlamydia and gonorrhea) are very mild in women, so many people get the diagnosis and appropriate treatment late.

CFS

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), with persistent fatigue and lethargy for months, is four times more common in women.

UTI

Women are more likely than men are to experience urinary tract problems, due to the way the female urinary tract is structured (3).

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