The prevalence of arrhythmia – i.e. a heart rhythm that isn’t normal (such as when the heart may be beating too fast even when a person is resting, or not beating in a regular pattern) – among transgender people is low, and is comparative to their cisgender counterparts. While seemingly positive, this highlights the need to study this further to ensure that the cardiac health of transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) adults are also closely considered.
This is according to a study – “Prevalence of Cardiac Arrhythmias in Transgender and Nonbinary Adult Community Health Center Patients” by Ayelet Shapira-Daniels, Dana S. King, Sari L. Reisner, et al – that appeared in LGBT Health.
Sex differences in cardiac arrhythmias are well established, but the prevalence of arrhythmias in transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) adults is understudied.
So the researchers did a cross-sectional study utilizing electronic medical records from a center specializing in TGNB care. Adults aged ≥18 years with ≥2 medical visits between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021, were categorized into self-reported gender groups: TGNB (transgender men, transgender women, nonbinary [NB]—assigned male at birth, NB—assigned female at birth), cisgender men, and cisgender women. The primary outcome was any arrhythmia using age- and race-adjusted regression models comparing transgender patients with cisgender men and cisgender women. Prevalence of arrhythmias was explored in transgender people with a gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) prescription.
The sample included 49,862 adults, with 7121 (14%) TGNB persons. Median age was 28 years.
Some of the key findings included:
- Prevalence of arrhythmias was low (0.7–1.4% NB persons, 1.4–1.5% transgender persons).
- After adjustment, transgender women and transgender men had similar odds of any arrhythmia compared with cisgender men (transgender women: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63–1.24, p = 0.52; transgender men: aOR 1.17, 95% CI 0.82–1.62, p = 0.37), but higher odds of any arrhythmia compared with cisgender women (transgender women: aOR 1.65, 95% CI 1.13–2.34, p = 0.01; transgender men: aOR 2.15, 95% CI 1.48–3.04, p < 0.001).
- Prevalence of arrhythmias appeared similar among transgender adults regardless of GAHT use (transgender men: 1.5% vs 1.9%, transgender women: 1.2% vs 2.1%).
“Further research examining arrhythmias in TGNB patients and across gender minority subgroups is warranted, including longitudinal studies evaluating the potential impact of GAHT,” the researchers stressed.
