Neurological care for LGBT+ people

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (LGBT+) people face unique health disparities that must be considered by health-care providers to ensure equitable and inclusive care. Although traditionally LGBT+ health has not been integrated into neurology training, sexual orientation and gender identity have direct relevance to neurological health, driven by both systemic and interpersonal factors. In this Review, we summarize the evidence for associations between sexual orientation and gender identity with the prevalence and outcomes of various neurological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, stroke and neurodevelopmental disorders, among others. We describe important clinical considerations pertaining to LGBT+ people and recommend language and practices to promote inclusive care, as well as highlight gaps in need of further research and possible strategies to minimize these, including systematic collection of sexual orientation and gender identity and use of inclusive language. In this Review, the authors discuss the unique neurological health disparities faced by sexual and gender minority (LGBT+) people. The Review presents clinical considerations alongside language and practice recommendations to promote inclusive care, and highlights the gaps in need of further research.