- Of all people living with an autoimmune disease, 80% of them are women .
- Researchers say a specific molecule found only in females may explain the high rates of autoimmune disease in women .
- Experts say the research could be a breakthrough in the field of autoimmune disease and could pave the way for interventions in the future.
Scientists say they may have made a breakthrough in uncovering what is behind the higher rates of autoimmune disease in women.
They say the difference may revolve around a type of molecule found only in females.
“Four out of five patients with autoimmune diseases are women. This study showed that an RNA called Xist that is made only in female cells could be a major driver of autoimmunity. This understanding can help design new ways to diagnose and perhaps treat autoimmune diseases,” Howard Chang, PhD, the senior author of the study and a professor of dermatology and genetics at Stanford, told Medical News Today.
About 50 million people in the United States have one or more autoimmune diseases. Up to
Many autoimmune diseases disproportionately impact women more than men. The ratio of females to males is 9 to 1 in lupus and in Sjorgen’s syndrome it’s as high as
The Stanford researchers say they have honed in on this disparity and narrowed it down to one of the most fundamental features differentiating the biological sexes.
“Doctors and scientists have wondered for decades about the female prevalence of autoimmune diseases. Sex hormones, different chromosome counts, and other factors like pregnancy were invoked. This research shows that a single female specific RNA is a major driver – a novel explanation to a longstanding mystery,” Chang said.
RNA refers to ribonucleic acid, a type of molecule that exists in the majority of…
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