Prevalence and clinical features of heart failure in Greenland

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Larsen, Hjalte Erichsen, Geisler, Uka Wilhjelm, Gustafsson, Finn, Jørgensen, Marit Eika, Pedersen, Michael Lynge
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Arctic; epidemiology; Greenland; Heart failure; prevalence; Circumpolar Health; greenlander*; International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Online Access: https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/publications/79da84d2-f1ef-4a06-92a5-36ac580c373e; https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2023.2178068; https://findresearcher.sdu.dk/ws/files/222199899/Prevalence_and_clinical_features_of_heart_failure_in_Greenland.pdf

Heart 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.