According to a recent study, members of sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations are more than twice as likely to report active epilepsy compared to heterosexual, cisgender individuals.
The study, published in JAMA Neurology, explored the prevalence of epilepsy among SGM populations in the United States. Researchers utilized a cross-sectional design based on data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative survey administered by the CDC. The survey included questions on epilepsy, sexual orientation, and gender identity. A total of 27,624 community-dwelling U.S. adults participated; participants were 54% women and 12% Black, with a mean age of 48.2 years.
Epilepsy prevalence was determined through self-reported diagnosis by a health professional, current use of antiseizure medication, or seizure occurrence within the past year. Participants self-identified their sexual orientation and gender identity, with categories for sexual orientation including gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other (excluding straight), and gender identity including transgender or gender-diverse.
The study results revealed the overall prevalence of active epilepsy was 1.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0%-1.3%), representing approximately 3,039,455 individuals from the 255,174,326 adults in the weighted sampling provided data. Among SGM participants, the reported prevalence was higher, at 2.4% (95% CI, 1.4%-3.3%), compared to 1.1% (95% CI, 1.0%-1.3%) in non-SGM individuals. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, income, and education, indicated that SGM individuals were more than twice as likely to report active epilepsy (adjusted odds ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.35-3.37).
Notable comorbidities with epilepsy in SGM participants were also highlighted, with 67% of transgender and gender-diverse individuals reporting depression compared to 18% of cisgender individuals. Similarly, 44% of people with epilepsy reported depression versus 18% without epilepsy.
“The reasons for this disparity are likely complex and may be associated with biological and psychosocial determinants of health unique to this population; as such, these individuals are in need of protected access to medical care,” noted researchers.
They also emphasized the need for further investigation into the causes of these disparities, the need to compare seizure types in the SGM population with epilepsy, and to identify best practices for ensuring access and effective treatment.
Full list of disclosures can be found in the original study.