From Invisibility to Inclusion: A Call to Action to Address COPD Disparities in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ Community.

Abstract

COPD is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality both in the United States and worldwide. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer + (LGBTQ+) individuals (the plus sign indicates inclusion of people who are questioning, intersex, asexual, or who hold other gender/sex/romantic identities not specifically identified) have a higher rate of tobacco smoking, predisposing them to an increased risk of developing COPD. Despite this risk, the burden of COPD in LGBTQ+ individuals is not known. Moreover, there is limited focus on efforts to identify and reduce disease risk in this population. In this perspective, we present the results of a focused literature review of COPD in LGBTQ+ populations. We found only 8 studies that reported the prevalence of COPD in different subgroups of the LGBTQ+ population. All studies found an increased prevalence of COPD in the studied LGBTQ+ sub-groups compared to their heterosexual and/or cisgender counterparts. We propose a 3-pronged call to action to improve the care of LGBTQ+ people with COPD. First, we must improve awareness and education about COPD in the LGBTQ+ community through the effective development and dissemination of educational resources to LGBTQ+ people and their health care providers. Second, we call for prevention and intervention efforts through targeted tobacco cessation initiatives and case-finding via screening spirometry among symptomatic LGBTQ+ smokers. Finally, well-designed cohort studies are required to better characterize the COPD burden among LGBTQ+ populations. With targeted approaches in these 3 areas, we can improve the health of this vulnerable population, historically marginalized by current COPD research efforts.