🧵 The CDC's recent directive to remove all articles that mention DEI terms INCLUDING "gender" is more than concerning.
Understanding the distinction between sex and gender is critical, including for chronic diseases. An example in axial spondyloarthritis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38008661/
Understanding the distinction between sex and gender is critical, including for chronic diseases. An example in axial spondyloarthritis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38008661/
Comments
◾Sex refers to biological differences (male, female, intersex)
◾Gender involves social and cultural factors that influence health outcomes.
The CDC’s removal of DEI language risks oversimplifying complex issues in healthcare.
🔑A key factor? Misunderstanding how disease manifests in women versus men, especially with biases in clinical settings.
Women, however, often experience delays that might be related to gendered biases, with pain labeled as "non-specific" or misdiagnosed as conditions like fibromyalgia.
We also need to consider potential biological differences by sex - for example hormones and how that affects disease activity.
This push to remove DEI phrases ignores critical research showing how gender and sex influence disease presentation, progression, and care, including for chronic diseases like axSpA