Health considerations for transgender women and remaining unknowns : a narrative review

Transgender (trans) women (TW) were assigned male at birth but have a female gender identity or gender expression. The literature on management and health outcomes of TW has grown recently with more publication of research. This has coincided with increasing awareness of gender diversity as communities around the world identify and address health disparities among trans people. In this narrative review, we aim to comprehensively summarize health considerations for TW and identify TW-related research areas that will provide answers to remaining unknowns surrounding TW's health. We cover up-to-date information on: (1) feminizing gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT); (2) benefits associated with GAHT, particularly quality of life, mental health, breast development and bone health; (3) potential risks associated with GAHT, including cardiovascular disease and infertility; and (4) other health considerations like HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, other tumours, voice therapy, dermatology, the brain and cognition, and aging. Although equally deserving of mention, feminizing gender-affirming surgery, paediatric and adolescent populations, and gender nonbinary individuals are beyond the scope of this review. While much of the data we discuss come from Europe, the creation of a United States transgender cohort has already contributed important retrospective data that are also summarized here. Much remains to be determined regarding health considerations for TW. Patients and providers will benefit from larger and longer prospective studies involving TW, particularly regarding the effects of aging, race and ethnicity, type of hormonal treatment (e.g. different oestrogens, anti-androgens) and routes of administration (e.g. oral, parenteral, transdermal) on all the topics we address

The role of osteoanabolic agents in the management of patients with osteoporosis

Reducing fracture risk is the objective of osteoporosis treatment. Bone-forming osteoporosis drugs increase bone mass, restore bone microarchitecture, and reduce fracture risk more effectively than oral bisphosphonates, providing strong justification for the use of these agents as the initial therapy or after anti-remodeling agents in patients at very high risk of fracture. At the end of a 12-to-24-month course of osteoanabolic therapy, transitioning to a potent anti-remodeling agent maintains and enhances the treatment benefit. This review describes the clinical applications of osteoanabolic therapy for osteoporosis

New Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Antibody Formation and Creatinine Elevation With Abaloparatide in Kidney Transplant Recipient

ABSTRACT A 39‐year‐old female with a history of kidney transplant presented to the endocrinology clinic for osteoporosis evaluation after sustaining an ankle fracture from a fall. Her kidney transplant regimen (mycophenolate mofetil 360 mg twice a day, tacrolimus 0.5 mg every morning and 0.5–1 mg every evening, prednisone 5 mg/day) and baseline creatinine (1.0–1.2 mg/dL) had been stable for several years. After an appropriate secondary workup, she was started on abaloparatide 80 μg subcutaneous daily injections for osteoporosis. She had a good initial biochemical response to therapy. However, 5 months after abaloparatide initiation she was found to have a new elevation in serum creatinine (1.17 to 1.69 mg/dL) despite stable serum tacrolimus trough levels, and two new human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (anti‐HLA antibodies detected to Cw7 and DP28). Abaloparatide was stopped due to concern for immunogenicity. There was no evidence of rejection on kidney biopsy and she was restabilized on her transplant regimen with a new baseline creatinine of 1.3–1.6 mg/dL. The patient was subsequently started on teriparatide 20 μg daily subcutaneous injections for 2 years with good biochemical response, significant improvement in bone mineral density, and stable transplant regimen without additional signs of immunogenicity or rejection. This is the first case report to raise concern about immunogenicity with abaloparatide in solid organ transplant recipients. © 2023 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Assessment and clinical management of bone disease in adults with eating disorders: a review

Abstract Aim To review current medical literature regarding the causes and clinical management options for low bone mineral density (BMD) in adult patients with eating disorders. Background Low bone mineral density is a common complication of eating disorders with potentially lifelong debilitating consequences. Definitive, rigorous guidelines for screening, prevention and management are lacking. This article intends to provide a review of the literature to date and current options for prevention and treatment. Methods Current, peer-reviewed literature was reviewed, interpreted and summarized. Conclusion Any patient with lower than average BMD should weight restore and in premenopausal females, spontaneous menses should resume. Adequate vitamin D and calcium supplementation is important. Weight-bearing exercise should be avoided unless cautiously monitored by a treatment team in the setting of weight restoration. If a patient has a Z-score less than expected for age with a high fracture risk or likelihood of ongoing BMD loss, physiologic transdermal estrogen plus oral progesterone, bisphosphonates (alendronate or risedronate) or teriparatide could be considered. Other agents, such as denosumab and testosterone in men, have not been tested in eating-disordered populations and should only be trialed on an empiric basis if there is a high clinical concern for fractures or worsening bone mineral density. A rigorous peer-based approach to establish guidelines for evaluation and management of low bone mineral density is needed in this neglected subspecialty of eating disorders

Gender-affirming hormone therapy, mental health, and surgical considerations for aging transgender and gender diverse adults

As the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) population ages, more transfeminine and transmasculine individuals present to clinic to initiate or continue their gender-affirming care at older ages. Currently available guidelines on gender-affirming care are excellent resources for the provision of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), primary care, surgery, and mental health care but are limited in their scope as to whether recommendations require tailoring to older TGD adults. Data that inform guideline-recommended management considerations, while informative and increasingly evidence-based, mainly come from studies of younger TGD populations. Whether results from these studies, and therefore recommendations, can or should be extrapolated to aging TGD adults remains to be determined. In this perspective review, we acknowledge the lack of data in older TGD adults and discuss considerations for evaluating cardiovascular disease, hormone-sensitive cancers, bone health and cognitive health, gender-affirming surgery, and mental health in the older TGD population on GAHT

Proceedings of the 2021 Santa Fe Bone Symposium : Advances in the management of osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases

The 2021 Virtual Santa Fe Bone Symposium was held August 5–8, with over 300 registered attendees from throughout the USA, and at least 18 other countries. This annual meeting focuses on applying advances in basic science and clinical research to the care of patients with osteoporosis and those with inherited and acquired disorders of bone metabolism. Participants represented a broad range of medical disciplines with an interest in skeletal diseases. These included physicians of many specialties and practice settings, fellows, advanced practice providers, fracture liaison service (FLS) coordinators, clinical researchers, and bone density technologists. There were lectures, case presentations, and panel discussions, all followed by interactive discussions. Breakout sessions included an FLS workshop, Bone Health TeleECHO workshop, special interest groups, meet-and-greet the faculty, and satellite symposia. The agenda covered topics of interest such as strategies for the use of osteoanabolic therapy, prevention of periprosthetic fractures, management of atypical femur fractures, what we know and don't know about vitamin D, advances in the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the assessment of skeletal health, controversies and conundrums in osteoporosis care, skeletal health in transgender patients, management of patients with hypophosphatasia and hypophosphatemia, and treat-to-target approaches for managing patients with osteoporosis. The Proceedings of the 2021 Virtual Santa Fe Bone Symposium consists of highlights of each presentation with current strategies for optimizing the care of patients with skeletal disorders

Systemic effects of epidural steroid injections for spinal stenosis

This analysis of the lumbar epidural steroid injections for spinal stenosis multicenter randomized controlled trial data identifies the degree of and risk factors for cortisol suppression after epidural steroid injections in older adults with spinal stenosis. Four hundred patients aged 50 years and older with back or leg pain and central lumbar spinal stenosis completed baseline demographic and psychosocial measures. Morning serum cortisol levels were measured at baseline and 3 weeks after initial injection. Patients were randomized to receive epidural injections of either local anesthetic with corticosteroid (n = 200) or local anesthetic only (n = 200). The specific corticosteroid was chosen at the treating physician\u27s discretion (methylprednisolone, betamethasone, triamcinolone, or dexamethasone). Thirty-two patients (20.3%) treated with corticosteroid experienced cortisol reduction at 3 weeks of \u3e50% compared with 10 patients (6.7%) treated with lidocaine only (adjusted treatment effect = 3.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.6-7.9, P = 0.002). The effect on 3-week cortisol changes did not differ by demographic or patient-level characteristics. Those treated with methylprednisolone or triamcinolone had an average 3-week cortisol reduction of 41.0% (P = 0.005) and 41.6% (P \u3c 0.001) from baseline, respectively, whereas patients treated with betamethasone or dexamethasone were not significantly different than comparable patients in the lidocaine arm. The higher rates of cortisol suppression at 3 weeks in those receiving epidural corticosteroid injections, particularly with longer-acting insoluble corticosteroid formulations, are consistent with sustained systemic absorption of corticosteroid