Four In Five: Women Carry the Burden of Autoimmune Disorders in America

Nationwide, more than 80% of patients living with autoimmune disorders are women, yet doctors and scientists don’t fully understand why. This gap leads to challenges in prevention, timely diagnosis, and effective treatment.

Autoimmune conditions occur when the body’s immune system malfunctions and mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues and include diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and hundreds more. More research and investment are crucial – to drive discovery, breakthroughs, and patient care improvement.

Women’s Health Research at Yale Collaborative Member Eugenia Chock, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine (rheumatology, allergy & immunology), is a physician-scientist who treats patients with rheumatic disease and has a special focus in maternal-child health. In addition to patient care, Chock is a researcher who uses large datasets and observational studies to better understand how diseases develop and how to treat them.

In a recent study published in Healthcare, Chock and colleagues worked to determine whether babies grow differently during pregnancy when their mother has a specific autoimmune disease – in this case, rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In an observational study of Danish health registries, the team revealed slower growth of babies from 18-22 weeks and forward, resulting in lower-than-expected birth weights at delivery. The team suggests uncontrolled disease activity or use of certain medications as a potential association and call for more investigation.

In September 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its first-ever NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Autoimmune Disease Research. The plan encompasses five priorities: accelerate scientific discovery; promote research focused on enhancing health; understand disease complexity; build research capacity; and strengthen partnerships and collaboration. Many active NIH funding opportunities for autoimmune disease and autoimmune research are available on the NIH website.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said, “Autoimmune diseases also carry substantial costs, estimated at more than $100 billion per year for health care in the U.S. Accounting for indirect costs, such as lost productivity and the broader impact on dependents, families, and society, the costs to the American people are likely much higher. Through a collaborative approach, innovative thinking, and a steadfast focus on outcomes that impact human health, we are poised to make significant strides in the fight against autoimmune diseases.”

“There is so much to discover in this field, and NIH’s growing focus on this domain is very encouraging,” says Chock.