Gay Data: http://www.gaydata.org
Fact of the Day
12.01.2011 2011 marks the beginning of the third decade of HIV/AIDS. The first reports of Pnemocystis Pneumonia in young men were published on June 5, 1981 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). 2011 saw new diagnostic assays that could further shorten the window period and help detect new infections, drug approvals that added more options to treatment regimens, generic drug approvals that can help lower the cost of treatment, and several labeling changes to improve management of safety in treating HIV.
10.04.2010 A pediatric encounter may give adolescents a rare opportunity to discuss their concerns about their sexual orientation &/or activities. Adolescents’ level of comfort in the pediatric office sets the tone for their other health care interactions.
The way sexuality & other important personal issues are discussed also sets an example for all adolescents & their parents. In the office, pediatricians are encouraged to:
1. Assure the patient that his or her confidentiality is protected
2. Implement policies against insensitive or inappropriate jokes & remarks by office staff
3. Be sure that information forms use gender-neutral, nonjudgmental language
4. Consider displaying posters, brochures, & information on bulletin boards that demonstrate support of issues important to nonheterosexual youth & their families
5. Provide information about support groups & other resources to nonheterosexual youth & their friends and families if requested
09.30.2010 Sex between males accounts for about half of the non-transfusion-associated cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among males between the ages of 13 and 19 years. While not all gay adolescents engage in high-risk sex (or even have sex), their vulnerability to HIV infection is well recognized.
09.28.2010 The psychosocial problems of gay and lesbian adolescents are primarily the result of societal stigma, hostility, hatred, and isolation. The gravity of these stresses is underscored by current data that document that gay youths account for up to 30% of all completed adolescent suicides.
09.27.2010 Pediatric providers can help decrease family rejection and increase support for LGB young people in several ways:
1. Ask LGB adolescents about family reactions to their sexual orientation and gender expression and refer to LGB community support programs and for supportive counseling as needed.
2. Identify LGB support programs in the community and online resources to educate parents about how to help their LGB children. Parents need access to positive parental role models to help decrease rejection and increase family support for their LGB children.
3. Advise parents that negative reactions to their adolescent’s LGB identity may negatively influence their child’s health and mental health.
4. Recommend that parents and caregivers modify highly rejecting behaviors that have the most negative influence on health concerns, such as suicidality.
5. Expand anticipatory guidance to include information on the need for support and the link between family rejection and negative health problems in LGB young people.
09.10.2010 Many
LGBTQ youth experience violence or victimization related to their sexual
orientation or gender identity
09.09.2010 Cross-gender
hormone therapy used by transgender women (mallet-to-female/MTF) may increase
risk for breast cancer
09.07.2010 Homosexuality is not a mental illness (it was removed from DSM in 1973). However, LGB people may be at increased risk for: Depression (Cochran et al, 2003), Anxiety & panic attacks (Cochran et al, 2003), Suicidal behavior (especially adolescents) (Silenzio et al, 2007), and Eating & body image disorders (men) (Siever, 1994, Kaminski et al, 2005).
09.05.2010 Bisexual-identified people report equal or higher rates if smoking than gays & lesbians (Conron et al., 2008)
09.03.2010 Young MSM of color & male to female (MTF) transgender youth are particularly affected by HIV (CDC 2008) 09.01.2010 Common Misconceptions Concerning HIV:
I can’t get HIV/STIs if I am the “top” (insertive partner in anal sex)
I can’t get STIs from oral sex
Women don’t need to use protection w/ other women
HIV-men:
I don’t need to use condoms w/ HIV- partners
My partner didn’t say he’s HIV+, so he must be HIV-
I don’t need to use condoms w/ an HIV+ partner if he is taking anti-virals & his viral load is undetectable
HIV+ men:
I don’t need to use condoms w/ HIV + partners
My partner didn’t want to use a condom, so he must be HIV+ too
08.26.2010 LGB lifetime victimization by sexual assault is 2-3x higher than non-LGB (Conron et al, 2008) 08.24.2010 Estimated 20-50% of homeless street youth are LGBTQ (Ray 2006) 08.20.2010 Regardless of symptoms or condom use, sexually active MSM should be tested at least annually for Hepatitis B.
08.19.2010 57-62% of LGBTQ youth report suicide attempts vs 29-33% of non-LGBTQ youth (Suicide Prevention Resource Center 2008). These youth patients often visit primary care physician (PCP) shortly before successful suicides. Thus PCP are a key figures in screening & support.
08.18.2010 Female-to-female sexual contact can transmit: Bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia, HSV-1, HPV, and Trichomonas
08.09.2010 Vaccination against hepatitis A & B is recommended for all MSM in whom previous infection or immunization can not be documented 08.06.2010 Parental rejection of children’s LGB sexual orientation has been linked to negative health outcomes (Ryan et al 2009)
08.05.2010 Lesbian & bisexual females should be vaccinated against HPV as you would other girls, even if they are only sexually active with other girls. The CDC recommends starting the vaccine series at ages 11-12 before sexual debut (CDC 2008). The Gardasil HPV vaccine is FDA approved for all females ages 9-26.
08.04.2010 Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk for syphilis as 64% of the new cases of this infection occur among MSM (Beltrami & Weinstock, 2007)
08.03.2010 LGBT medicine fact of the day: Use of estrogen or testosterone by transgender populations may place this populace at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (Biller 1995). 08.02.2010 LGBT medicine fact of the day: Gay and bisexual men have higher prevalence of eating disorders compared to heterosexual men (Feldman & Meyer, 2007). Gay and bisexual men also report higher rates of body dissatisfaction (Kaminski et al, 2005)
08.01.2010 LGBT medicine fact of the day: Lesbian and bisexual women have more risk factors for breast cancer including: lower rates of parity, higher rates of obesity, and higher usage of alcohol and cigarettes. However, lesbian and bisexual women are 4 times less likely to undergo mammography (Kerker et al, 2006).
07.31.2010 An estimated 30,000 LGB people die each year from tobacco-related diseases (American Cancer Society, 2003) |
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