Transgender children may face a heightened risk of cardiovascular health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol levels, according to new findings presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, ENDO 2021.
The study included more than 4,000 children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a term used to describe the “deep sense of unease and distress” that can occur when someone identifies with a gender different than their sex designated at birth. The group was compared with more than 16,000 children with no diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
“This is the first study of its size in the United States of which we are aware that looks at the odds of youth with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria having medical diagnoses that relate to overall metabolic and cardiovascular health,” lead researcher Anna Valentine, MD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, said in a prepared statement.
Overall, Valentine et al. found that transgender children are nearly twice as likely to have abnormal cholesterol levels. Also, they were 1.4 times as likely to have liver dysfunction and 1.3 times as likely to have high blood pressure.
In addition, the authors observed, transgender males are 1.5 times as likely to be overweight or obese compared to cisgender children. They were also nearly twice as likely to have polycystic ovary syndrome.
“As research in pediatric transgender medicine is emerging, showing what medical conditions are being diagnosed more often in this population can help individuals, families and healthcare providers better manage their health,” Valentine said.
ENDO 2021 is taking place virtually March 20-23. For more information on the conference, click here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.