Does being homosexual or transgender increase your risk of stroke?
- Yes, as studies have shown, individuals in a sexual or gender minority group are at higher risk of stroke than straight individuals
- Maybe, risk factors correlated with specific gender identities, such as HIV, syphilis, and substance abuse, can increase the risk of stroke
- No, simply belonging to a sexual or gender minority group does not affect a person's risk of stroke
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A recent study found that individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or non-binary may have a higher risk of experiencing a stroke at a younger age and a higher risk of recurrent strokes than those who identify as straight and cisgender. The study, conducted by researchers from UC San Francisco and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, reviewed the medical records of stroke patients who identified as gender minorities and compared them to age-matched stroke patients who did not identify as gender minorities. The study found that both stroke patients had similar stroke subtypes and traditional stroke risks factors, such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.
However, the gender minority group was likelier to have non-traditional stroke risks factors, such as HIV, syphilis, hepatitis C, and substance abuse. These risk factors increase the risk of stroke through inflammation and blockage of blood vessels. Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of HIV and syphilis is highest in transgender women and gay and bisexual cisgender men and that stroke risk may be higher in lesbians than in straight women.
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/01/424626/do-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-affect-your-stroke-risk
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