Transgender Identity and Cardiovascular Disease

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Disparities
• Cardiovascular Health

Background:

• Transgender populations experience significant health disparities.
• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health concern, potentially elevated in transgender individuals.
• Understanding CVD risk factors in transgender people is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between transgender identity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• To compare CVD odds in transgender individuals versus cisgender individuals.
• To identify specific demographic and behavioral factors influencing CVD risk in transgender populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized logistic regression analysis.
• Employed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2015-2019).
• Controlled for common CVD risk factors including age, race, BMI, alcohol consumption, exercise, and smoking status.

Main Results:

• Transgender individuals assigned female at birth had 2.66 times higher odds of CVD compared to cisgender individuals.
• Among individuals assigned male at birth, transgender identity was not significantly associated with CVD, but gender nonconformity increased CVD odds by 2.21 times.
• Age, race, BMI, alcohol consumption, exercise, and smoking were significant predictors of CVD across all participants.

Conclusions:

• Transgender identity is associated with increased CVD odds for individuals assigned female at birth.
• For individuals assigned male at birth, gender nonconformity, not transgender identity itself, was linked to higher CVD odds.
• These findings highlight the need for tailored cardiovascular health strategies for transgender individuals, considering sex assigned at birth and gender expression.