The study found that 0.8% of same-sex patients who engaged in high-risk sexual activity were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, while only 0.49 heterosexual men who engaged in high-risk sexual activity had Crohn’s disease.
The research will enable the development of individualized precision medicine for the management of inflammatory bowel disease in this underrepresented minority patient group.
According to a recent study from Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH), gay men are more than twice as likely as heterosexual men to develop inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when both groups engage in high-risk sexual activity.
The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Gut.
“To our knowledge, this is the first large population-based study that demonstrates a higher prevalence of IBD in men who engage in high-risk same-sex sexual activity,” said Emad Mansoor. , lead author of the study and assistant professor at Case Western. Reserve Medical School and UH. “Our study should open a new field of research in gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions.”
“The study of the cause of IBD in this underrepresented patient population compared to other patient groups,” said Fabio Cominelli, corresponding author of the study, professor at the School of Medicine and scientific director of UH, “will allow us to further investigate the cause of disease development in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and develop personalized precision medicine and treatment strategies, while reducing Stigma.
The importance of the study is underscored by the fact that, according to Gallup, more than 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQIA+, up from 5.6% in 2020.
The findings
Between 2002 and 2022, researchers analyzed self-reported data from people treated at 58 healthcare organizations in the United States.
According to the data, 0.8% of those diagnosed with high-risk homosexual activity had Crohn’s disease and 1.26% had ulcerative colitis. These results were contrasted with those of men who engage in high-risk heterosexual behaviors, of whom 0.49% had Crohn’s disease and 0.52% had ulcerative colitis.
This study defined high-risk sexual activity as sexual contact without protective barriers as well as having multiple sexual partners.
The team also analyzed Crohn’s disease data in more detail and found that men who engaged in high-risk same-sex sexual activity were more likely to have perianal disease, including perianal abscess. -anal, rectal abscess and narrowing colon disease. or the small intestine. Among those with severe manifestations of ulcerative colitis, men who engaged in high-risk same-sex sexual activity were more likely to undergo partial colectomy.
The results will be evaluated in more detail by the team – including investigation of the potential role of the gut microbiome – during a long-term study that allows investigators to follow participants over time.
Continuing research with NIH funding
The team will continue research to better understand if and how LGBTQIA+ people are more susceptible to gastrointestinal disorders with funding awarded this year to the Cleveland Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (DDRCC).
The center recently received an additional $100,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This will allow researchers to significantly increase the number of LGBTQIA+ patients included in the core DDRCC biodeposit, which collects plasma, tissue and stool samples, and gut microbiome analyses.
“This additional grant is in addition to our $1 million in NIH funding that runs from 2020 to 2025,” Cominelli said. “We are opening a new clinic dedicated to LGBTQ+ patients with the aim of improving access to care. Our goal is to improve patient access and develop new therapies for gastrointestinal conditions.
Reference: “Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Men with High-Risk Homosexual Activity” by Emad Mansoor, Scott A Martin, Abe Perez, Vu Quang Nguyen, Jeffry A Katz, Shubham Gupta, and Fabio Cominelli, September 1, 2022 , Gut.DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-328218
