Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States
Abstract Despite recommendations in the US National Research Action Plan on Long COVID, gender identity is rarely reported in research and surveillance used to guide public health programming and clinical care. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional study of COVID-19 in a nationwide sample of trans...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84519-5 |
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| author | Andrea L. Wirtz Sari L. Reisner S. Wilson Cole Darya Adams J. D. Davids Alison K. Cohen Carter Brown Marissa Miller Tonia C. Poteat |
| author_facet | Andrea L. Wirtz Sari L. Reisner S. Wilson Cole Darya Adams J. D. Davids Alison K. Cohen Carter Brown Marissa Miller Tonia C. Poteat |
| author_sort | Andrea L. Wirtz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Despite recommendations in the US National Research Action Plan on Long COVID, gender identity is rarely reported in research and surveillance used to guide public health programming and clinical care. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional study of COVID-19 in a nationwide sample of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people (N = 2,134). Participants were surveyed between June 14, 2021 and May 1, 2022. Data were restricted to 817 participants who reported confirmed or suspected COVID-19 to estimate the prevalence of long COVID, defined as symptoms persisting for ≥ 3 months. Ten percent of participants with a history of COVID-19 reported symptom duration consistent with long COVID, ranging from 4.8% to 12.9% across gender identities. Long COVID was most common in transmasculine and nonbinary people assigned female sex at birth. There was no evidence of an association with reported hormone therapy, supporting current recommendations that prioritize gender-affirming care during treatment for long COVID. As a condition which profoundly impacts health and productivity, long COVID is likely to exacerbate existing disparities. Principles of equity demand that we reduce barriers to prevention, diagnosis, and care for long COVID, and ensure that research and surveillance are inclusive of TNB people and disaggregate findings by gender identity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7d8710147ad94d8f9f66fd424678a73d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-7d8710147ad94d8f9f66fd424678a73d2025-01-05T12:14:30ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-011511910.1038/s41598-024-84519-5Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United StatesAndrea L. Wirtz0Sari L. Reisner1S. Wilson Cole2Darya Adams3J. D. Davids4Alison K. Cohen5Carter Brown6Marissa Miller7Tonia C. Poteat8Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public HealthDepartment of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthLong COVID Justice, Strategies for High ImpactPatient-Led Research CollaborativeBlack Transgender Advocacy CoalitionTrans Solutions Research and Resource CenterDivision of Healthcare in Adult Populations, Duke University School of NursingAbstract Despite recommendations in the US National Research Action Plan on Long COVID, gender identity is rarely reported in research and surveillance used to guide public health programming and clinical care. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional study of COVID-19 in a nationwide sample of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people (N = 2,134). Participants were surveyed between June 14, 2021 and May 1, 2022. Data were restricted to 817 participants who reported confirmed or suspected COVID-19 to estimate the prevalence of long COVID, defined as symptoms persisting for ≥ 3 months. Ten percent of participants with a history of COVID-19 reported symptom duration consistent with long COVID, ranging from 4.8% to 12.9% across gender identities. Long COVID was most common in transmasculine and nonbinary people assigned female sex at birth. There was no evidence of an association with reported hormone therapy, supporting current recommendations that prioritize gender-affirming care during treatment for long COVID. As a condition which profoundly impacts health and productivity, long COVID is likely to exacerbate existing disparities. Principles of equity demand that we reduce barriers to prevention, diagnosis, and care for long COVID, and ensure that research and surveillance are inclusive of TNB people and disaggregate findings by gender identity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84519-5Transgender; COVID-19; post-acute COVID-19 syndrome |
| spellingShingle | Andrea L. Wirtz Sari L. Reisner S. Wilson Cole Darya Adams J. D. Davids Alison K. Cohen Carter Brown Marissa Miller Tonia C. Poteat Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States Scientific Reports Transgender; COVID-19; post-acute COVID-19 syndrome |
| title | Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States |
| title_full | Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States |
| title_short | Long COVID in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States |
| title_sort | long covid in transgender and gender nonbinary people in the united states |
| topic | Transgender; COVID-19; post-acute COVID-19 syndrome |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84519-5 |
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