Alzheimer's disease and related dementias among transfeminine adults: A cohort study

We investigated whether Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are more common among transfeminine (TF) adults than among demographically similar cisgender people enrolled in the same health system.

We analyzed electronic health records of 856 TF adults aged 65+ and matched cisgender men (CM) and cisgender women (CW) and compared ADRD prevalence across groups by calculating enrollment-adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

The aOR of ADRD among TF adults were 1.39 (95% CI: 0.99-1.97) relative to CM and 1.29 (95% CI: 0.92-1.82) relative to CW referents. For TF adults with evidence of receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) receipt, the associations were slightly stronger: 1.75 (1.13-2.69) and 1.70 (1.11-2.60). Results restricted to minoritized ethnoracial groups appeared smaller, but imprecise.

These findings suggest that ADRD diagnosis and management may represent a priority in the healthcare of older TF people, particularly those with a history of GAHT.