Gay men and bisexual women may have higher rates of high blood pressure than their heterosexual counterparts. This is according to a research – “Investigating Sexual Identity Disparities in Hypertension and Hypertension Treatment Among Adults” by Yashika Sharma, Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, Tonda Hughes and Billy Caceres – that appeared in Circulation.
High blood pressure/hypertension is also called a “silent killer” because it often has no obvious symptoms. When not untreated, it can contribute to heart attacks and strokes.
This research analyzed self-reported data from 424,255 participants, including 1.8% who were gay or lesbian and 2.3% who were bisexual.
After adjusting for demographics, insurance, body mass index and smoking status, researchers found that gay men were 24% more likely, and bisexual women were 17% more likely to have high blood pressure compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
According to lead researcher Sharma, there is ample evidence showing that sexual minority adults have a higher prevalence of several risk factors for hypertension than heterosexual adults. These factors include tobacco use, short sleep duration and obesity.
Gay men diagnosed with hypertension were 32% more likely to take medication for their condition, compared to heterosexual men. Meanwhile, bisexual women were 30% less likely than heterosexual women to use blood pressure medicine.
With the findings, the researchers suggest:
- for medical professionals to be more proactive in screening LGB adults for high blood pressure; and
- for schools for health professions to be better at teaching students about LGB health disparities.
