Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: This is a prospective audit looking at cardiovascular parameters in transpeople comparing those who have self medicated verses those who have not.

Methods: Patients attending a workshop for new patients were questioned about cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes hypertension and smoking status. Measurements were made of lipid profile, glucose, blood pressure, waist, height and weight measurement. Those that were self medicating (SM) were compared to those that were not (control).

Results: Seventy nine transwomen and 30 transmen. 48.1% of transwomen were self medicating and 14.7% of transmen were self medicating. For SM transwomen baseline oestradiol was high at 254.6±39.1 vs control 128.4±17.9 pmol/l. Total cholesterol nor triglyceride were different. HDL rose from 1.13±0.06 to SM 2.1±0.08 mmol/l (P<0.01). For SM transmen there is an increase in testosterone from 1.07±0.08 to 27.48±11.2 nmol/l. Total cholesterol remained stable but HDL fell (control 1.97±0.53 vs SM 1.1±0.19 mmol/l P<0.01). In both groups there were no significant differences in height, weight, blood pressure or BMI either on or off hormonal therapy. In SM transwomen vitamin D was lower, (SM 52.9±24.0 to 40.97±20.1 nmol/l P 0.034). In transmen however hormonal therapy was associated with an increased vitamin D (SM 50.8±25.3 to 58±20.4 nmol/l P>0.05). Self-medication was also associated with antidepressant prescription in transwomen but not transmen (2.4% vs 15.8%, χ² 4.353 P 0.037).

Conclusion: Self-medication does not appear to have a dramatic impact on cardiovascular risk factors in both trans men or trans women apart from the known effects of sex steroid therapy on HDL. There does appear to be an association between antidepressant prescription and self-medicating in transwomen. It is also of note that vitamin D deficiency is associated with self medication in transwomen. Tiredness associated with vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the symptoms of depression in these individuals.