Transgender-Affirming Hormone Therapies, QT Prolongation, and Cardiac Repolarization

What is the association of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with cardiac repolarization, notably QTc (corrected QT interval), a biomarker associated with torsade-de-pointes, in transgender individuals?In this cohort study of 120 transgender individuals (64 transgender men treated with testosterone and 56 transgender women treated with antiandrogens), QTc and other T-wave surrogates of cardiac repolarization were measured. GAHT was associated with QTc prolongation in transgender women and QTc shortening in transgender men, with variation in circulating testosterone concentration associated with QTc.In this study, QTc variation after GAHT corresponded in magnitude to restoration of the known QTc sexual dimorphism observed in cisgender adults.

Corresponding Author: Joe-Elie Salem, MD, PhD, INSERM, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) 1901, Department of Pharmacology, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne Université, 75013 Paris, France (joe-elie.salem@aphp.fr).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.