Inuit health in Greenland: a population survey of life style and disease in Greenland and among Inuit living in Denmark

Bjerregaard, Peter; Curtis, Tine; Borch‐Johnsen, Knut; Mulvad, Gert; Becker, Ulrik; Andersen, Stig; Backer, Vibeke

doi:10.3402/ijch.v62i0.18212

Cited by 71 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In Nuuk a random sample of the population was invited to participate, while in Qasigiannguit and Uummannaq all residents were invited. The details of this study have been described previously [15].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional study of the association between persistent organic pollutants and glucose intolerance among Greenland Inuit

Jørgensen

Borch‐Johnsen

Bjerregaard³

2008

Diabetologia

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Aims/hypothesis Some evidence supports the hypothesis that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. The Inuit population in Greenland, which is highly exposed to POPs due to a high intake of marine mammals, has experienced a rapid increase in diabetes prevalence over the last 30 years. Thus the aim was to study the association between POPs and glucose intolerance and markers of insulin resistance and insulin secretion using a population-based design. Methods From 1999 to 2002 the Greenland population study was carried out among adult Inuit living in Greenland. The examination included a 75 g OGTT, anthropometric measurements, a structured interview, and blood tests. Plasma glucose and serum insulin were analysed, and three defined subclasses of POPs were analysed in a subgroup. Associations were adjusted for age, sex, waist circumference, Inuit heritage, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and educational level. Results Data on POPs were available on 692 individuals, 305 men (mean age 50 years) and 387 women (mean age 49 years). The prevalence of diabetes was 10.3%, and 10.5% had impaired glucose tolerance. The concentrations of several POPs were exceptionally high. While no associations were found between POPs and stages of glucose intolerance or markers of insulin resistance, POPs were significantly inversely associated with stimulated insulin concentrations and homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function. Conclusions/interpretation The study indicates that POPs may affect insulin secretion rather than being involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. No association was seen between POPs and glucose intolerance or markers of insulin resistance.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional study of the association between persistent organic pollutants and glucose intolerance among Greenland Inuit

Jørgensen

Borch‐Johnsen

Bjerregaard³

2008

Diabetologia

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“…As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) 1999 criteria [7], the prevalence of T2D has increased in Greenland from a very low level in the 1960s to more than 10%, as estimated from two population-based investigations conducted in 1999-2010 [8,9]. As such, the prevalence of T2D is on the same level as in India and twice as high as in Denmark [2], a country that is politically and culturally linked to Greenland.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…As a part of population-based health surveys, more than 4,000 Greenlanders were investigated in two cohorts, the Inuit Health in Transition (IHIT, n = 2,733) and the Greenland Population Study 1999 (B99, n = 1,331) [8,9]. In these surveys, T2D-related phenotypes were collected, including data from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in most individuals.…”

Section: The Parg684ter Nonsense Variant Tbc1d4 Identified In Greenlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diabetes in Population Isolates: Lessons from Greenland

Grarup¹,

Moltke²,

Albrechtsen³

et al. 2015

Rev Diabet Stud

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■ AbstractType 2 diabetes (T2D) is an increasing health problem worldwide with particularly high occurrence in specific subpopulations and ancestry groups. The high prevalence of T2D is caused both by changes in lifestyle and genetic predisposition. A large number of studies have sought to identify the genetic determinants of T2D in large, open populations such as Europeans and Asians. However, studies of T2D in population isolates are gaining attention as they provide several advantages over open populations in genetic disease studies, including increased linkage disequilibrium, homogeneous environmental exposure, and increased allele frequency. We recently performed a study in the small, historically isolated Greenlandic population, in which the prevalence of T2D has increased to more than 10%. In this study, we identified a common nonsense variant in TBC1D4, which has a population-wide impact on glucose-stimulated plasma glucose, serum insulin levels, and T2D. The variant defines a specific subtype of non-autoimmune diabetes characterized by decreased post-prandial glucose uptake and muscular insulin resistance. These and other recent findings in population isolates illustrate the value of performing medical genetic studies in genetically isolated populations. In this review, we describe some of the advantages of performing genetic studies of T2D and related cardio-metabolic traits in a population isolate like the Greenlandic, and we discuss potentials and perspectives for future research into T2D in this population.

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“…The study population included adult Greenland Inuit invited to participate in one or both population-based health surveys called B99 [15] and Inuit Health in Transition (IHIT) [16] described in detail elsewhere. B99 was conducted in 1999–2001 and IHIT was completed in the years 2005–2010.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of cardiovascular diagnoses in the Greenlandic Hospital Discharge Register for epidemiological use

Tvermosegaard

Rønn

Pedersen

et al. 2018

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In Greenland, valid estimates of prevalence and incidence of CVD do not exist and can only be calculated if diagnoses of CVD in the Greenlandic Hospital Discharge Register (GHDR) are correct. Diagnoses of CVD in GHDR have not previously been validated specifically. The objective of the study was to validate diagnoses of CVD in GHDR. The study was conducted as a validation study with primary investigator comparing information in GHDR with information in medical records. Diagnoses in GHDR were considered correct and thus valid if they matched the diagnoses or the medical information in the medical records. A total of 432 online accessible medical records with a cardiovascular diagnosis according to GHDR from Queen Ingrid’s Hospital from 2001 to 2013 (n=291) and from local health care centres from 2007 to 2013 (n=141) were reviewed. Ninety-nine and ninety-two percent of discharge diagnosis in GHDR from Queen Ingrid’s Hospital and local health care centres were correct in comparison with diagnoses in the medical record indicating valid registration practice. The correctness of cardiovascular diagnoses in GHDR was considered high in terms of acceptable agreement between medical records and diagnoses in GHDR. Cardiovascular diagnoses are valid for epidemiological use.

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Inuit health in Greenland: a population survey of life style and disease in Greenland and among Inuit living in Denmark

Cited by 71 publications

References 16 publications

A cross-sectional study of the association between persistent organic pollutants and glucose intolerance among Greenland Inuit

A cross-sectional study of the association between persistent organic pollutants and glucose intolerance among Greenland Inuit

Diabetes in Population Isolates: Lessons from Greenland

Validation of cardiovascular diagnoses in the Greenlandic Hospital Discharge Register for epidemiological use

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