A Systematic Review of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Epidemiology and Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals

The health of sexual and gender minority (SGM)individuals, an inclusive term for people whose sexual orientation or gender identity is not cisgender heterosexual, is an area of increasing awareness research. SGM populations face health care inequities that lead to worse outcomes in physical and mental health.1 As of 2022, 7.1% of the adult population in United States identified as SGM. Twenty percent Generation Z (born 1997-2012) adults identify as However, health care providers often have little knowl-edge of the health care needs of SGM patients.2 In 2011, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine identified SGM health as an area of research need and priority.3 This was followed by a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report in 20224 recommending standardized language for lecting sexual orientation and gender identity data research and clinical settings. Data on SGM people and gastroenterologic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are limited. Recent reviews on the care of transgender adolescents and young adults with IBD and on receptive anal course in patients with perianal disease or ileoanal pouches have highlighted the lack of data and credible recommendations.5,6 These represent a few of the areas in which more data on the health of SGM people with IBD are needed and point to a critical gap in knowledge that prevents data-driven and targeted sures to provide high-quality IBD care for SGM people. In this systematic review, we assessed the available research on the epidemiology and patient-reported health outcomes related to IBD in SGM individuals foundation for future researchers and clinicians.