LGBTQ+ people are more likely to develop dementia, study finds
LGBTQ+ people are more likely to develop neurological conditions such as dementia and depression in later life than cisgender and heterosexual people, according to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study involved analysing data from over 393,000 people aged over 51 in the United States, of which nearly 40,000 were LGBTQ+. Researchers found that just over 21,000 people studied had a neurological disease, including late-life depression, dementia and strokes.
Taking into consideration factors like smoking, age and high blood pressure, which can affect the risk of these neurological conditions, researchers discovered that LGBTQ+ people were 15% more likely to experience “adverse brain health outcomes”.
“Our findings underscore the need for further research focusing on the health care disparities affecting the LGBTQ+ community” – Dr Shufan Huo
In a statement, one of the co-author’s of the study Dr Shufan Huo, PhD at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, said: “In a world that increasingly recognizes the crucial role of equitable health care, it remains concerning how little is known about the health disparities faced by LGBTQ+ people.”
Dr Huo added: “Our study looked at this group, which has been historically underrepresented in neurological research, and found that they had an increased risk of adverse brain health outcomes.”
The study revealed that LGBTQ+ people were 14% more likely to develop dementia than cisgender heterosexual people.
Meanwhile, people from sexuality and gender minorities were 27% more likely to develop late-life depression.
The researchers shared that transgender women had a 68% higher risk of stroke compared to cisgender people.
“Possible reasons for these disparities could include discrimination, stress, access to health care and policy and legal factors” – Dr Huo
Speaking to CNN, Dr. Amir Ahuja, director of psychiatry at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, who wasn’t involved in the study, noted: “Correlation does not equal causation, and we do not know why these disparities exist. What this does do is let us focus on this issue in particular, and message to transgender women so that we can get them into preventive care and reduce their risk factors in advance.”
Researchers were keen to highlight that there is no evidence that being LGBTQ+ causes these adverse outcomes. Rather, they were likely the result of psychological, sociological and biological factors.
“Possible reasons for these disparities could include discrimination, stress, access to health care and policy and legal factors,” Dr Huo said.
“Our findings underscore the need for further research focusing on the health care disparities affecting the LGBTQ+ community.”
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