Prevalence and clinical features of heart failure in Greenland

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Hjalte Erichsen Larsen, Uka Wilhjelm Geisler, Finn Gustafsson, Marit Eika Jørgensen, Michael Lynge Pedersen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023
• Subjects: Heart failure; prevalence; epidemiology; Greenland; Arctic; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Circumpolar Health; greenlander*; International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2023.2178068; https://doaj.org/article/b8493998950847edbed8f7c5ce3cf93c

ABSTRACTHeart Failure (HF) constitutes a significant burden for healthcare around the world. In Greenland, risk factors like smoking, diabetes, and obesity are prevalent. Yet, the prevalence of HF remains unexplored. This register-based cross-sectional study uses data from the national medical record in Greenland to estimate the age- and gender-specific prevalence of HF and to describe the characteristics of patients with HF in Greenland. A total of 507 patients (26% women) with a mean age of 65 years were included based on a diagnosis of HF. The overall prevalence was 1.1% and higher among men compared to women (1.6% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.05). The highest prevalence was among men above 84 years (11.1%). More than half (53%) had a body mass index above 30 kg/m2 and 43% were current daily smokers. The proportion diagnosed with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was 33%. The overall prevalence of HF in Greenland is consistent with that in other high-income countries, yet high among men in some age groups, compared to Danish men. Almost half the patients were obese and/or smokers. A low prevalence of IHD was observed indicating that other factors may play a role in developing HF among Greenlanders.