TY - JOUR
T1 - Burden of selected chronic non-communicable diseases in a primary healthcare setting in Nuuk, Greenland, compared to a Danish suburb
AU - Backe, Marie Balslev
AU - Kallestrup, Per
AU - Rasmussen, Kurt
AU - Jørgensen, Marit Eika
AU - Pedersen, Michael Lynge
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) constitute a massive global burden and are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In Greenland, the prevalence of NCDs has historically been low. However, during the past approximately 70 years, life circumstances have changed dramatically resulting in increased life expectancy. Today, the proportion of inhabitants in Greenland ≥65 years has nearly tripled since the 1980s, and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes has increased rapidly within the past decades. The aim of this study was to describe the burden of selected NCDs in a primary care setting in Nuuk and compare it to a modern westernized suburban general practice in Denmark.METHODS: The study was performed as a cross sectional register-based study using data extracted from the electronic medical records (EMR) based on diagnosis codes from inhabitants living in Nuuk, Greenland, and a suburb in Denmark. Estimates of prevalence were age-standardized to the WHO world standard population.RESULTS: In both Nuuk and the Danish suburb, the highest prevalence was observed for hypertension (13.2% for both populations), followed by asthma (4.4 and 9.5%, respectively) and diabetes (4.3 and 2.9%, respectively). The age-standardized prevalences of diabetes, COPD, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure, were significantly higher in Nuuk, while seven NCDs including asthma, ischemic heart disease, arthritis urica, psoriasis, hyperthyreosis, hypothyreosis and osteoporosis were significantly higher in the Danish suburb.CONCLUSION: In contrast to the disease pattern observed in Greenland in the last century, the prevalence of diagnosed NCDs in Nuuk is no longer rare. Thus, the overall prevalence of NCDs in the population of Nuuk is now comparable to or even higher than in the suburb in Denmark. This calls for increased focus on all NCDs in the primary healthcare system in Greenland and adaption of the primary healthcare services to a changed disease spectrum.
AB - INTRODUCTION: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) constitute a massive global burden and are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In Greenland, the prevalence of NCDs has historically been low. However, during the past approximately 70 years, life circumstances have changed dramatically resulting in increased life expectancy. Today, the proportion of inhabitants in Greenland ≥65 years has nearly tripled since the 1980s, and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes has increased rapidly within the past decades. The aim of this study was to describe the burden of selected NCDs in a primary care setting in Nuuk and compare it to a modern westernized suburban general practice in Denmark.METHODS: The study was performed as a cross sectional register-based study using data extracted from the electronic medical records (EMR) based on diagnosis codes from inhabitants living in Nuuk, Greenland, and a suburb in Denmark. Estimates of prevalence were age-standardized to the WHO world standard population.RESULTS: In both Nuuk and the Danish suburb, the highest prevalence was observed for hypertension (13.2% for both populations), followed by asthma (4.4 and 9.5%, respectively) and diabetes (4.3 and 2.9%, respectively). The age-standardized prevalences of diabetes, COPD, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure, were significantly higher in Nuuk, while seven NCDs including asthma, ischemic heart disease, arthritis urica, psoriasis, hyperthyreosis, hypothyreosis and osteoporosis were significantly higher in the Danish suburb.CONCLUSION: In contrast to the disease pattern observed in Greenland in the last century, the prevalence of diagnosed NCDs in Nuuk is no longer rare. Thus, the overall prevalence of NCDs in the population of Nuuk is now comparable to or even higher than in the suburb in Denmark. This calls for increased focus on all NCDs in the primary healthcare system in Greenland and adaption of the primary healthcare services to a changed disease spectrum.
KW - Denmark
KW - Greenland
KW - Non-communicable diseases
KW - prevalence
KW - primary healthcare
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189952458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02813432.2024.2334746
DO - 10.1080/02813432.2024.2334746
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38578458
SN - 0281-3432
VL - 42
SP - 435
EP - 441
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
IS - 3
ER -