Why does it take so long to get a Lupus diagnosis?

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]What does Lena Gomez and I have in common? We and around 5 million people around the world are living with lupus.

[00:00:06]It takes an average of six years to get lupus diagnosis. No two cases of lupus are exactly the same, which makes the journey of diagnosis even more complicated. Sexism is also at play.

[00:00:18]Lupus disproportionately affects women.

[00:00:20]Nine out of 10 people with lupus are female. It also disproportionately affects people from African, Caribbean, and Asian ancestries, which makes it potentially a diagnostic blind spot for doctors trained in certain parts of the world. For these reasons, it can take years for it to be diagnosed. But the more we talk about these signs, the faster someone might be able to get the diagnosis they need.