Gender-affirming hormone therapy is associated with increased serum creatinine in transgender men, but not in transgender women, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online 16 August in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Emily Krupka, RN, from Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg, Canada, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to characterise the change in serum creatinine, other kidney function biomarkers, and glomerular filtration rate in transgender persons initiating masculinising and feminising gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT).

Twenty-six studies met the inclusion criteria, including nine that recruited 488 and 593 transgender men and women, respectively, whose data were included in a meta-analysis.

The researchers identified heterogeneity in study design, population, GAHT routes, and dosing.