Gender-affirming treatment and mental health diagnoses in Danish transgender persons: a nationwide register-based cohort study

IMPORTANCE

Gender affirming treatment aims to improve mental health.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate longitudinal mental health outcomes in Danish transgender persons.

DESIGN

National register-based cohort study in Danish transgender persons with diagnosis code of "gender identity disorder" during the period 2000-2021.

PARTICIPANTS

Five age-matched controls of the same sex at birth and five age-matched controls of the other sex at birth were included for each transgender person.

MAIN OUTCOMES

Diagnosis codes of mental and behavioral disorders and/or prescription of psychopharmacological agents until June 2022.

RESULTS

The cohort included 3812 transgender persons with median age (interquartile range) 19 (15; 24) years for persons assigned female at birth (AFAB, N = 1993) and 23 (19; 33) years for persons assigned male at birth (AMAB, N = 1819) and 38 120 controls. Follow up duration was up to 10 years with mean (standard deviation) 4.5 (4.3) years. In transgender persons AFAB compared to control women, the odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval) for mental and behavioral disorders was 6.7 (5.5; 8.1) before the index date, 9.9 (8.4; 11.7) at 1 year, 5.8 (4.4; 7.7) at 5 years, and 3.4 (2.1; 7.5) at 8 years follow up. In transgender persons AMAB compared to control men, corresponding ORs were 5.0 (4.0; 6.4), 11.3 (9.3; 13.7), 4.8 (3.5; 6.5), and 6.6 (4.2; 10.3) at 8 years follow up (all P < .001).

CONCLUSION

The OR for mental health disorders was higher in transgender persons compared to controls and remained elevated throughout follow up, especially in transgender persons AMAB.

Increased risk of thyroid disease in Danish women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a cohort study

AIM

To investigate risk of thyroid disease in Danish women with PCOS.

DESIGN

National register-based study on women with PCOS in Denmark. 18,476 women had a diagnosis of PCOS in the Danish National Patient Register. PCOS Odense University Hospital (PCOS OUH, n = 1146) was an embedded cohort of women with PCOS and clinical and biochemical examination. Three age-matched controls were included for each woman with PCOS (n = 54,757). The main outcome measures were thyroid disease (hypothyroidism, Graves' disease, goiter, thyroiditis) according to hospital diagnosis codes and/or inferred from filled medicine prescriptions. Associations between baseline TSH and development of cardio-metabolic disease was examined in PCOS OUH.

RESULTS

The median (quartiles) age at inclusion was 29 (23-35) years and follow-up duration was 11.1 (6.9-16.0) years. The hazard ratio (95% CI) for thyroid disease development was 2.5 (2.3-2.7) (P < 0.001). The event rate of thyroid disease was 6.0 per 1000 patient-years in PCOS Denmark versus 2.4 per 1000 patient-years in controls (P < 0.001). Women in PCOS OUH with TSH ≥2.5 mIU/L (n = 133) had higher BMI (median 29 vs 27 kg/m2), wider waist, higher triglycerides and free testosterone by the time of PCOS diagnosis compared to women in PCOS OUH with TSH <2.5 mIU/L (n = 588). Baseline TSH did not predict later development of cardio-metabolic diseases in PCOS OUH.

CONCLUSIONS

The event rate of thyroid disease was significantly and substantially higher in women with PCOS compared to controls.

Youth, suicide attempts and low level of education: A Danish historical register-based cohort study of the outcome of suicide attempt

BACKGROUND

In Denmark, it is a political goal that 95% of all young people should complete an upper secondary education. For some young people, this goal can be difficult to achieve. An association has been established between suicidal behaviour and school performance.

AIM

We hypothesise that young people who have attempted suicide have a lower chance of finishing secondary education.

METHODS

We used Danish historical population registers to perform a longitudinal cohort design and extended Cox regression modelling to estimate crude and adjusted estimates of the effect of suicide attempt on secondary education. We used the birth cohorts 1983-1989, and all subjects were followed from birth until the end of 2011 (n = 355,725).

RESULTS

For suicide attempters, the likelihood of completing secondary education was one-third of non-attempters (crude hazard ratio = 0.38). A part of the impact can be explained by confounding factors. Individuals with a suicide attempt at age 16-20 years or with multiple suicide attempts were most likely not to complete secondary education. Compared to mentally ill non-attempters, suicide attempters with mental illness were more likely not to finish secondary education.

CONCLUSION

A suicide attempt is not necessarily causal for not finishing secondary education, but it is a marker, and it predicts an increased likelihood of not finishing secondary education. We need to identify individuals at risk for suicide attempts and subsequently provide the necessary support. Completing secondary education is important, as it provides better chances of employment, higher wages and more opportunities for individuals in the future.

Sleep and sickness absence: a nationally representative register-based follow-up study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

We aimed to examine various sleep measures as determinants of sickness absence while considering confounders.

DESIGN

Nationally representative Health 2000 Survey linked with sickness absence data from the Finnish Social Insurance Institution.

SETTING

Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

Working-aged women (n = 1,875) and men (n = 1,885).

INTERVENTIONS

N/A.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

Insomnia-related symptoms, early morning awakenings, being more tired during daytime than other people of same age, use of sleeping pills, excessive daytime sleepiness, probable sleep apnea (4 items about snoring/apnea), and reporting that sleep duration varies between different seasons were examined as determinants of sickness absence over a 7.2 year follow-up. Poisson and gamma regression models were fitted. After adjusting age, all examined sleep disturbances except excessive daytime sleepiness were associated with sickness absence among men (RRs 1.3-2.5). Among women, after adjusting for age, insomnia-related symptoms, early morning awakenings, being more tired than others, and use of sleeping pills were associated with sickness absence (RRs 1.4-1.8). After further adjustments for education, working conditions, health behaviors, and objectively measured mental and somatic health, the associations somewhat attenuated but mainly remained. The optimal sleep duration with the lowest risk of sickness absence was 7.6 hours for women and 7.8 hours for men. Although persistence of other health problems could affect the estimates, direct costs due to sickness absence could decrease by up to 28% if sleep disturbances could be fully addressed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the need for prevention of sleep disturbances and promotion of optimal sleep length to prevent sickness absence.