Premature mortality rates higher for lesbian, bisexual female nurses

Editor's Note

Sexual orientation has a significant impact on all-cause mortality rates among female nurses, according to a study published April 25 in Jama.

The prospective cohort study focused on 90,833 women initially recruited in 1989 for Nurses’ Health Study II whose sexual orientation had been identified in 1995. Of the 4,227 deaths reported, the cumulative mortality rates for lesbian and bisexual participants were 7% and 10.1%, respectively, compared to only 4.6% for heterosexuals.

Health disparities for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women are well-documented, and they have been linked to premature mortality, researchers write. However, “few studies have investigated premature mortality disparities among LGB women and whether they differ by lesbian or bisexual identity.”

“In an otherwise largely homogeneous sample of female nurses, participants identifying as lesbian or bisexual had markedly earlier mortality during the study period compared with heterosexual women,” they conclude. “These differences in mortality timing highlight the urgency of addressing modifiable risks and upstream social forces that propagate and perpetuate disparities.”