Are Trans People More Susceptible to Cardiovascular Disease? Researchers Still Have Questions

Trans people know that our unique health concerns are understudied. Just look at how many of us resort to Reddit forums as a source of anecdotal medical knowledge. Now, researchers are sounding the alarm on just how dangerous this lack of research can be for our heart health. A new perspective piece published in a recent issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine concludes that the cardiovascular health risks for trans people, especially regarding their possible interactions with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), are dangerously understudied. In the piece, researchers observe that amid heightened global scrutiny on gender-affirming healthcare, “insufficient effort has been made to address health disparities and fill health-related knowledge gaps impacting trans populations, particularly for [cardiovascular disease].”The researchers assert that these stakes are especially high given that cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than a quarter (26.4%) of all deaths in the country. Consisting of scientists from the Boston University, University of Toronto, and Yale University, among other medical research institutions, the authors note that despite trans, gender-nonconforming and nonbinary people only making up 1.1% of the U.S. adult population, evidence suggests they experience disproportionate rates of CVD.Broad healthcare guidelines currently state that some people who begin testosterone-based HRT may develop a higher risk of certain cardiovascular symptoms, such as high blood pressure — but the researchers also shared that data suggests all trans people, regardless of whether or not they take hormones, are at an elevated risk of CVD compared to cisgender people. They also maintain that despite “recent political changes” — namely the restriction of gender-affirming care by a litany of anti-trans laws and executive actions — healthcare practitioners and researchers must continue to