Women’s health conditions have long been diagnosed far less often than conditions affecting men. While that disparity is improving, senior partner Lucy Pérez and colleagues note that for every woman diagnosed with a condition such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome, about four still go undiagnosed.
Image description:
A set of 4 circles represent specific women’s and men’s health conditions. Each circle is made up of 10 smaller circles, which are shaded to display the variance between prevalence and diagnosis of health conditions. The circles representing women show that 8 in 10 go undiagnosed with menopause, 6 out of 10 are undiagnosed with endometriosis, and 2 out of 10 are undiagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. The circles representing men show that 3 out of 10 are undiagnosed with erectile dysfunction, and 2 out of 10 go undiagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia with lower urinary tract symptoms. Ratio of prevalence to diagnosis is based on epidemiological data sources and US claims data (Jan 2019 to Aug 2022).
Source: © 2023 Komodo Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution, transmission, or publication is prohibited. Reprinted with permission; American Journal of Medicine; BMC Women’s Health; Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation, used with permission; Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Radiology; Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
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To read the article, see “Closing the data gaps in women’s health,” April 3, 2023.