76% of Autoimmune Patients Receive at Least One Misdiagnosis, Study Shows

Approximately 76% of patients diagnosed with an autoimmune disease have received at least one misdiagnosis prior, according to a study published in Rheumatology Advances in Practice.

These misdiagnoses can be attributed to the vast number of autoimmune disease symptoms and a lack of professional awareness, according to Veena Joy, the U.S. Lead for Strategic Partnerships, Allergy and Autoimmunity at Thermo Fisher Scientific, who recently sat down for an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive.

Joy explained that while there is a growing demand for rheumatologists in particular, the rheumatologist workforce is shrinking, which leads patients to seek care from primary care providers.

“A lot of these patients will present with fatigue, joint pain, hair loss, fever or rashes that can mimic many other diseases,” Joy said. “Unfortunately, within primary care, most of these physicians just don't have as much awareness or education [as rheumatologists].”

For example, the face rash associated with lupus may be wrongly associated with rosacea. Patients may even be misdiagnosed with another autoimmune disease due to overlapping symptoms. Lupus may also be misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis due to the muscle and joint pain associated with both diseases.