Effects of long-term gender-affirming hormone therapy on echocardiographic parameters, results from ENIGI-10
Maeyens Fien, Van de Walle Mien, 2025
Although hormone therapy for transgender persons is a key component of gender-affirming
care, its long-term effects on heart and blood vessel safety remain largely unanswered.
The heart and blood vessels make up the cardiovascular system. The structure and function
of this cardiovascular system are known to differ between the sexes. Additionally, sex
hormones like estrogen and testosterone influence the heart and blood vessels. The present
study investigated whether 10 years of hormone therapy in transgender persons leads to
changes in cardiovascular structure and function. Therefore, cardiovascular ultrasound
parameters were compared between transgender and cisgender individuals.
The present study noted differences in the heart’s structure, pumping ability, filling phase, and
arterial stiffness. These findings were different for transgender women than for transgender
men. In transgender women, cardiac mass was lower, and pumping function and arterial
stiffness were increased. In transgender men, an increase in pumping function and arterial
stiffness, and a decrease in cardiac filling phase were observed.
Although some differences in cardiovascular parameters in transgender persons have been
reported, they do not necessarily result in cardiovascular disease. In addition, other factors
than hormone therapy may have played a part in the observed results. Further research is
needed to explore this question in more depth.
| Promotor | Guy T'Sjoen |
| Opleiding | Geneeskunde |
| Domein | Cardiologie |
| Kernwoorden | Transgender gender-affirming hormone therapy echocardiography |