TITLE:
Age, Urban-Rural, Gender, and Sex-Based Differences in Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Kaly Keïta, Boua Daoud Camara, Alassane Alfousséni Doumbia, Cheick Oumar Kamissoko, Nagou Tolo, Nanko Doumbia, Brehima Boly Berthé, Drissa Sangaré, Mahamadou Saliou, Ibrahima Amadou Dembélé, Mamadou Cissoko, Youssouf Fofana, Djibril Sy, Djénèbou Traoré, Assétou Soukho Kaya, Mamadou Dembélé, Abdoulaye Keïta, Abdoulaye Diawara, Mamadou Wélé, Kassim Traoré, Jeffrey G. Shaffer, Mahamadou Diakité, Hamar Alassane Traoré
KEYWORDS:
Gender, Sex, Urban-Rural, Age, Autoimmune Diseases, Autoinflammatory Diseases
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Internal Medicine,
Vol.15 No.4,
December
9,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction: There are no studies that have explored globally and exhaustively the relationship between age group, urban-rural, gender and sex, and the autoimmune diseases’ nosological entity, autoimmune diseases’ nosological sub-entities, each of the autoimmune diseases, and autoinflammatory diseases’ nosological entity, autoinflammatory diseases’ nosological sub-entities, each of the autoinflammatory diseases. Methods: To determine globally and exhaustively the age, urban-rural, gender, and sex-based differences in autoimmune diseases and autoinflammatory diseases, a 15-year cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital Center of the Point G. A bivariate analysis using the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests to assess the statistical significance and strength of the associations between the categorical independent variables and the outcome variables was performed. A two-tailed p-value Results: The age group of 20 - 39 years was significantly associated with autoimmune diseases (p = 0.000). The age group of 60 - 79 years was significantly associated with autoinflammatory diseases (p = 0.000). The profession as houseworkers was exclusive to females (118 cases vs. 0), and farmers and workers to males (24 cases vs. 0 and 15 cases vs. 1 case, respectively). Systemic autoimmune diseases were more frequently diagnosed in females than in males (p = 0.000). Females were 2.45 times more likely than males to have organ-specific autoimmune diseases (p = 0.001). There were no cases of monogenic autoinflammatory diseases in our study. Males were 2.04 times more likely than females to develop polygenic autoinflammatory diseases (p = 0.033). Systemic autoimmune diseases were more prevalent in patients living in urban areas (44 cases) than in those living in rural areas (26 cases) (p = 0.347). Patients living in urban areas were more likely than those living in rural areas to have organ-specific autoimmune diseases (p = 0.320). Patients living in urban areas were more likely than those living in rural areas to have polygenic autoinflammatory diseases (p = 0.469). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the existence of several relevant positive associations between the age group, urban-rural status, gender and sex, and the autoimmune diseases’ nosological entity, autoimmune diseases’ nosological sub-entities, each of the autoimmune diseases, and autoinflammatory diseases’ nosological entity, autoinflammatory diseases’ nosological sub-entities, each of the autoinflammatory diseases.