Clinical and Psychosocial Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Among Transgender Individuals: A National BioResource Cohort Study

Purpose

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals are under-represented in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research, and little is known about their diagnostic experiences, disease burden, mental health comorbidity, or quality of life (QoL). We therefore aimed to characterise clinical features, diagnostic timelines, comorbidity, and QoL among TGNC people with IBD and to contextualise key outcomes using a matched cisgender cohort. Patients and methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study within the IBD BioResource population. Using questionnaires and linked BioResource data, we collected information on demographics, clinical history, gender-affirming care, comorbidity, and QoL. TGNC participants were matched to cisgender controls by sex and age category for a contextual and exploratory comparison. Analyses were performed using regression models.