Sociodemographics of Patient Populations Undergoing Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Systematic Review of All Cohort Studies

Abstract

Importance: Sociodemographic and health characteristics of patients undergoing gender-affirming surgery (GAS) are currently unknown. Understanding these patient characteristics is vital to optimizing patient-centered care for transgender patients.

Objective: To determine sociodemographic characteristics for the transgender population undergoing GAS. Collected sociodemographic information included the following: age, race/ethnicity, body metrics, hormone replacement therapy administration and duration, substance use, psychiatric comorbidities, and medical comorbidities.

Evidence review: A search of seven electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Gender Studies) was used to find all articles on GAS from inception through May 2019. The 15,190 articles were then subjected to two levels of screening, and articles unrelated to gender-affirming care, unavailable in English, n<5, and with no outcomes reporting were excluded. Textbook chapters and letters were also excluded.

Findings: A total of 406 studies were fully extracted, with 307 studies reporting age (n=22,727 patients), 19 reporting race/ethnicity (n=1184), 74 reporting body metrics (body mass index [BMI] n=6852, height n=416, and weight n=475), 58 reporting hormone therapies (n=5104), 56 reporting substance use (n=1146), 44 reporting psychiatric comorbidities (n=574), and 47 reporting medical comorbidities (n=573). From the 406 studies, 80 were done in the United States. Regarding U.S. studies, 59 studies reported age (n=5365), 10 reported race/ethnicity (n=709), 22 reported body metrics (BMI n=2519), 18 reported hormone therapies (n=3285), 15 reported substance use (n=478), 44 reported psychiatric comorbidities (n=394), and 47 reported medical comorbidities (n=293). Age was the most reported characteristic, reported in 75.62% of studies (73.75% of U.S. studies). Race/ethnicity was the least commonly reported data, reported in 4.68% of studies (12.50% of U.S. studies).

Conclusions and relevance: The type of sociodemographic information reported by GAS studies is inconsistently reported. To improve patient-centered care for transgender patients, further work is needed to create a standardization of collected sociodemographic information.

Keywords: gender transition; sex reassignment surgery; transgender.