May 3, 2024

The Surprising Link Between Sexual Orientation and Stroke Risk

These consisted of HIV and present or previous history of syphilis and liver disease C, conditions that can increase stroke danger as a result of swelling and obstruction of blood vessels.
” While positivity rates were greater for substance abuse, along with HIV, liver disease C, and syphilis for people in the sexual and minority group, they were more most likely to be tested, which might represent them,” said senior author, Nicole Rosendale, MD, a neurohospitalist in the UCSF Department of Neurology and ZSFG.
Of those patients tested for HIV, 8 of the 23 (34.8%) in the sexual and gender minority group were favorable, versus none of the 36 patients in the non-minority group. For liver disease C, 4 of 14 (28.5%) patients tested in the minority group had or had had the infection, compared to 4 of 19 (21%) in the non-minority group. Amongst those evaluated for syphilis, 5 of the 19 (26.3%) had or had had syphilis in the minority group, versus none of the 25 evaluated patients in the non-minority group.
The minority group also had a higher rate of compound use, itself a threat element for all 3 conditions, with 11 of 18 (61.1%) testing positive for substances in urine tests throughout their health center admissions, compared to 19 of 56 (33.9%) in the non-minority group.
Due to the limited variety of minority clients in the study, researchers were not able to connect particular subgroups to dangers, stated Rosendale, who is also connected with the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.
” Previous studies have actually shown that the occurrence of HIV and syphilis is greatest in transgender females, and in gay and bisexual cisgender men. Stroke threat appears to be greater in lesbian females than in straight females, with one research study revealing that they had greater rates of self-reported stroke,” Rosendale said. “There might be many factors for this– higher rates of smoking cigarettes, greater frequency of weight problems, impacts of discrimination on vascular health, and minimal access to health care.”
While the average age of stroke patients at the study healthcare facility was 69, the typical age of the sexual and gender minorities group was 55.
The scientists also found that the minority group was more most likely to experience a persistent stroke, regardless of comparable follow-up rates as the non-minority group. “Future research study will require to explore the motorists of reoccurring stroke, including the role of minority stress,” said Rosendale. “Discrimination, bias, and stigma produce a naturally stressful environment that translates into health concerns.”
Referral: “Exploring Stroke Risk Factors and Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority People” by Michael Anthony Diaz and Nicole Rosendale, 18 January 2023, Neurology Clinical Practice.DOI: 10.1212/ CPJ.0000000000200106.

Of those clients checked for HIV, 8 of the 23 (34.8%) in the sexual and gender minority group were favorable, versus none of the 36 patients in the non-minority group. Stroke threat appears to be higher in lesbian women than in straight women, with one study revealing that they had greater rates of self-reported stroke,” Rosendale said. The researchers also found that the minority group was more likely to experience a reoccurring stroke, despite similar follow-up rates as the non-minority group. “Future research study will need to check out the chauffeurs of reoccurring stroke, consisting of the role of minority stress,” said Rosendale.

A stroke is a medical emergency that takes place when the blood supply to the brain is interfered with, resulting in an unexpected loss of brain function. Strokes can be triggered by an obstructed artery or bleeding in the brain and can result in a series of signs, including trouble strolling or speaking, paralysis, and confusion.
A study recommends that greater rates of stroke are driven by non-traditional factors.
According to a little study in San Francisco, people who determine as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or non-binary may be at a greater danger for stroke at a younger age, in addition to a possible increased danger for recurrent strokes, compared to those who identify as straight and cisgender.
The medical records of 26 stroke clients who recognize as sexual and gender minorities were evaluated by scientists from the University of California, San Francisco and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) and were compared with 78 stroke patients of the same age who did not recognize as sexual and gender minorities. The findings of this study were recently published in Neurology Clinical Practice.
While stroke subtypes and traditional stroke dangers, such as cigarette smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure, were comparable for both groups, the sexual and gender minority clients were more likely to have “non-traditional stroke dangers.”