Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 4112 BSB, 1007 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL, 60607-7140, USA,
Ann Behav Med. 2014 Feb;47(1):57-70. doi: 10.1007/s12160-013-9567-6.
Sexual minorities have documented elevated risk factors that can lead to inflammation and poor immune functioning.
This study aims to investigate disparities in C-reactive protein (CRP) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by gender and sexual orientation.
We used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine disparities in CRP (N = 11,462) and EBV (N = 11,812).
Among heterosexuals, women had higher levels of CRP and EBV than men. However, sexual minority men had higher levels of CRP and EBV than heterosexual men and sexual minority women. Lesbians had lower levels of CRP than heterosexual women.
Gender differences in CRP and EBV found between men and women who identify as 100 % heterosexual were reversed among sexual minorities and not explained by known risk factors (e.g., victimization, alcohol and tobacco use, and body mass index). More nuanced approaches to addressing gender differences in sexual orientation health disparities that include measures of gender nonconformity and minority stress are needed.
性少数群体存在可导致炎症和免疫功能不良的已记录风险因素。
本研究旨在调查性别和性取向差异与 C 反应蛋白 (CRP) 和 Epstein-Barr 病毒 (EBV) 的关系。
我们使用全国青少年健康纵向研究来检查 CRP（N=11462）和 EBV（N=11812）的差异。
在异性恋者中，女性的 CRP 和 EBV 水平高于男性。然而，性少数群体男性的 CRP 和 EBV 水平高于异性恋男性和性少数群体女性。女同性恋者的 CRP 水平低于异性恋女性。
在自我认同为 100%异性恋的男性和女性之间发现的 CRP 和 EBV 的性别差异在性少数群体中被逆转，并且不能用已知的风险因素（例如，受害、酒精和烟草使用以及体重指数）来解释。需要采取更细致的方法来解决性取向健康差异中的性别差异，包括对性别非规范和少数群体压力的衡量。
