Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Extant literature suggests that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals experience a higher burden of CVD risk factors and psychosocial stressors than their cisgender (cis) peers. However, prior studies have been limited by self-reported outcomes or small samples.
Aim: To determine whether TGD veterans have greater CVD (MI, ischemic stroke, cardiac revascularization) incidence than cis veterans using large, nationwide data.
Methods: We used EHR data from the Veterans Healthcare Administration to identify veterans with >2 outpatient encounters in fiscal years 2010-2019. Veterans’ gender identity was classified using natural language processing in combination with gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) and a previously validated algorithm for identifying TGD individuals using ICD codes and VHA data. Of 1,105,082 veterans without prior CVD, 42,149 were classified as TGD. We examined sample characteristics by gender identity and used Cox regression to assess the association of gender identity with incident CVD.
Results: TGD veterans’ mean age (years) was 46 (cis females=40; cis males=53). Cis females had the fewest CVD risk factors, followed by TGD veterans and cis males. Adjusting for age, race, and Hispanic ethnicity, TGD veterans had 1.49 [1.42-1.56] and 0.93 [0.90-0.97] times the risk of CVD compared to cis females and cis males, respectively. Upon additional adjustment for other CVD risk factors, renal function, alcohol use disorder, depression, anxiety, and sexual minority status, results remained statistically significant. Significance also held in sensitivity analyses which matched each TGD veteran to cis female and male veterans on age within 2 years. In analyses stratified by gender identity, trans feminine (HR [95% CI]: 1.26 [1.14-1.40]) and uncategorized TGD veterans (HR [95% CI]: 1.29 [1.22-1.37]) were at higher CVD risk than cis female veterans; trans masculine (HR [95% CI]: 0.85 [0.77-0.93]) and trans feminine veterans (HR [95% CI]: 0.90 [0.82-0.99]) were at lower CVD risk than cis male veterans. Among TGD veterans, GAHT receipt was associated with an 11% decrease in CVD risk.
Conclusion: TGD veterans’, particularly trans feminine and uncategorized TGD veterans’, CVD risk was greater than that of cis females. Contrary to prior findings, GAHT was associated with decreased CVD risk. These results invite further study into the mechanisms by which GAHT and other factors impact CV health across and within gender identities.