Addressing Heart Health in LGBTQ Adults

A man and woman walking together on a beach Joyce Huis/Unsplash

This is a statement issued by the American Heart Association on LGBTQ heart health. It recognizes that there are disparities among heart disease risk factors for LGBTQ adults, especially lesbian, bisexual, and trans women. This is primarily due to psychosocial life stressors, such as discrimination. The statement highlights the need for continued research in the area of LGBTQ heart health.

“There is mounting evidence that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) adults experience disparities across several cardiovascular risk factors compared with their cisgender heterosexual peers… several reviews have concluded that evidence of higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in transgender people is limited by methodological issues, including the use of retrospective cohorts with short follow-up, cross-sectional designs, inadequate data on gender-affirming hormones, and a lack of inclusion of transgender older adults.”

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000914