Emiry Dodds, Jack Amiry and Sanah Ali
University of Oxford, UK
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Gen Med
Focus: This poster examines existing literature regarding cardiovascular outcomes in transgender populations who receive hormone affirming therapy (HAT). In doing so, we consider the rationale for encouraging the establishment of prospective observational studies of HAT-receiving transgender populations to delineate if an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease is truly present. Background: It is estimated 0.3-0.8% of the population identify as transgender, of which 75% will utilise hormone affirming therapy (HAT). Trans populations are posited to be at a higher risk of negative health outcomes due to elevated psychosociological pressures and increased levels of substance use. Due to elevated risk in this population, there are concerns regarding the long-term safety profiles of cross-sex hormones. Short-term and medium-term safety profiles are established but there is some evidence to suggest that HAT can be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events later in life. Little guidance exists on whether cardiovascular screening is necessary to optimise trans healthcare following HAT initiation. The transgender population is growing as society becomes more accepting of gender minorities. As such, there is increased demand to provide evidence-based quality care for trans patients. Recommendation: With few high-quality long-term data sets present on the subject, it is difficult to determine long-term safety profiles for HAT. Developing prospective observational studies of HAT-receiving individuals has the potential to tackle unanswered questions in this field. HAT is lifesaving for many trans people, and full understanding of its impacts is necessary to empower gender minority groups to live as freely as possible.
