Sexual and Gender Minority Adults Have Higher Risk of Epilepsy

Jul 25, 2024

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Sexual and gender minority adults in the United States have a disproportionate prevalence of epilepsy, according to a study published online July 22 in JAMA Neurology.

Emily L. Johnson, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of active epilepsy among sexual and gender minority people in the United States. Analysis included 27,624 participants in the 2022 National Health Interview Survey.

The researchers found that active epilepsy was present in 1.2 percent of the population, overall. A higher proportion of sexual and gender minority adults reported active epilepsy (2.4 percent, versus 1.1 percent in non-sexual and gender minority adults). When adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, income, and education, the odds of epilepsy among sexual and gender minority people was more than doubled (adjusted odds ratio, 2.14).

“The findings suggest that the burden of epilepsy is high in people of sexual and gender minoritized groups, who are already at high risk of stigmatization, discrimination, and poor health outcomes,” the authors write. “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.”

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