Women, Men, Autoimmune, Neurological disease, and Fibromyalgia: Meeting Gender Bias Head On

The women to men ratio affected by fibromyalgia are 7:1 or 8:1, but are these statistics accurate?  

We once thought more men were affected by heart disease than women and we now know that is not the case, and even more alarming, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely to be fatal. So we ask, “Why the disparity in diseases between male and female?”  And an even bigger question, “Why are we not paying closer attention?”

Statistically, fibromyalgia is a leading female syndrome, and therefore, few studies are done on men.  Men typically do not report their symptoms, do not receive the right emotional support (though women many times don’t either), and suffer gender bias, leaving them undiagnosed and untreated. Females dominate other autoimmune and neurological diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), scleroderma, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, and multiple sclerosis   This by no means suggests that men do not also have any one of these syndromes or diseases.  So I ask,  “Why are men so frequently left out when evaluating fibromyalgia?” 

Since women seem predisposed to neuro-endocrine-immune disorders, their is a theory that hormones play a role. However, ankylosing spondylitis (another autoimmune disease) affects more men than women, so that theory is purely speculative, in my opinion. 

Men are more likely to keep their symptoms to themselves. Many do not understand the co-occurrence of myofascial pain syndrome and that it can cause male related issues, such as impotence, testicular pain, and male pelvic dysfunction, which men are less likely to discuss with their doctor than women, and often overlooked on exam for both men and women.  

Historically men avoid seeking healthcare, because of the long tradition that one should “buck up” and “take their lumps,” which could be a factor in under diagnosis.  Personally, my own husband would be dead had it not been for my insistence that I accompany him to the doctor to report his symptoms, which he wanted to dismiss as GERD and a pulled muscle. 

It is my opinion that more men are affected by fibromyalgia than what the statistics show, because of the factors I just mentioned, and I believe that men are not represented in proportionate numbers in clinical trials.  Like studying women in heart disease separate from men, the same should be true for fibromyalgia.  Women do tend to have a greater affinity toward autoimmune diseases, but believe me, if you are a man and suffer with fibromyalgia, MS, migraine, disordered sleep, restless leg syndrome, or any of the other overlapping neuro-endocrine-immune disorders, it is just as real. 

Gender bias must hit the road, it is immoral, counterproductive, and unethical for men and women. 

In healing and hope, Celeste

All blogs, posts and answers are not meant to replace medical advice.

Want to know more about Celeste’s books?  (click on the title)

BrokenBody Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See Saw of Chronic Pain. (co-author, Jeff Miller, PhD)

IntegrativeTherapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: TheMind-Body Connection (co-author, Jeff Miller, PhD)

Contributing author to Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, Kindle Ed.