A Cross Sectional Analysis of the Prevalence of Co-Morbidities in Older Transgender Individuals Receiving Hormone Affirming Therapy in Comparison With the General Population

Abstract

Background: Transgender individuals feel an incongruity between the assigned gender at birth and their gender identity. Because the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and morbidity associated with cross-sex hormonal therapy is not well established, particularly in the older transgender population, we set out to compare it to that of the general population. Methods: Data were collected from medical records of transgender patients treated in the Endocrine Institute at the Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center until October 2018. Data from the Israel National Health Survey INHIS-3 2013-2015 were used as reference. Results: 104 (75 transgender women and 29 transgender men) patients over 35 y were identified. The median follow up time was 3 y (1-6.1). Transgender women had a high standardized prevalence rate (SPR) of overweight, smoking and engaging in physical exercise, but not of dyslipidemia compared with cisgender men and women. The SPR for overweight was high in transgender males compared with cisgender men and women. The SPR for smoking and dyslipidemia was high in transgender men compared with cisgender women but not men. Depression and anxiety were markedly increased in transgender women compared with cisgender men [SPR 5.5 (95% CI 3.3-8.5), p<0.001] and women [SPR 2.8 (95% CI 1.7-4.3), p<0.001] in the control population. The SPR of hypertension, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease was not elevated among transgender patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors but not cardiovascular morbidity was higher in the transgender patients compared with the general population. Further studies including a larger population and a longer follow up time are needed to better assess the impact of a high prevalence of risk factors on cardiovascular morbidity on the long run.