On May 28th, the International Day of Action for Women's Health is celebrated, a key event to combat sex and gender biases in medicine and research. The reality is that many women still face significant delays in receiving an accurate diagnosis, a problem that severely impacts their health and prognosis.
An illustrative case is that of a 70-year-old woman who began noticing minor memory lapses at 61. Despite her concerns and repeated visits to her primary care physician, her forgetfulness was initially attributed to nervousness, distraction, or mild depression. Only two and a half years later, and after seeing a different specialist, was mild cognitive impairment confirmed. Finally, a lumbar puncture at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona confirmed the presence of proteins associated with Alzheimer's, a disease that predominantly affects women.
Neurologist Neus Falgàs, from the hospital's Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Disorders Unit, laments the existing "certain nihilism": "Not enough importance is given to what women feel; it's considered an age-related issue; it's normalized that they might have memory problems, and it's often attributed to mood issues." This dismissal of female symptoms can prolong correct diagnosis by two to five years.
This disparity is not exclusive to Alzheimer's. A 2019 Danish study revealed that women were diagnosed with hundreds of health problems, on average, about four years later than men. This delay, affecting conditions like diabetes and cancer, is due not only to genetic or lifestyle factors but also to the inherent biases within the healthcare system. Gynecologist Elisa Llurba, from the Women's Health Transversal Program at the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau, points out that "sex and gender can influence the risk of developing a disease, its symptoms, and also its progression," and criticizes that the medical system "has not taken women into account, nor diversity."
The situation is beginning to change timidly in Catalonia. The Institut de Recerca Sant Pau has led a pioneering network to integrate the sex and gender perspective into research and development. Furthermore, hospitals such as Vall d'Hebron, Clínic, and Germans Trias i Pujol have established gender and sex commissions. The publication of the book "Ets una exagerada: biaix de gènere i sexe en salut" (You're an exaggeration: gender and sex bias in health) and the creation of the Catalan Society of Science and Medicine through the lens of Sex and Gender are steps towards more equitable and precise healthcare.
