Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority people (LGBTQ+), are at greater risk of dying by suicide, of cardiovascular disease, and of a cascading list of other health problems, compared with the rest of the population. To help stop this suffering and eliminate disparities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health have called for more research and better care to address the health needs of LGBTQ+ people.

Three recent studies led by Harvard Medical School students working with researchers and clinicians from HMS and its affiliated hospitals provide new evidence about the specific drivers of these disparities and point the way to new solutions to overcome these challenges.

These studies demonstrate that the convergence of political and social environment, structural inequities, and implicit and explicit bias within the medical system erode LGBTQ+ health and well-being.

And all of these findings, the HMS researchers noted, point to the importance of tackling LGBTQ+ health disparities on multiple fronts — through research, education, and outreach.

“Research like this is crucial for building an evidence base that can allow doctors, policymakers, and sexual and gender minority people to work together to design better health care systems and to improve the health and well-being of everyone in our communities,” said Alex Keuroghlian, HMS associate professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and senior author of two of the studies

Soruce: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/studies-deepen-understanding-lgbtq-health-disparities