Low prevalence of diagnosed asthma in Greenland – a call for increased focus on diagnosing

Autor: Maja Hykkelbjerg Nielsen, Marie Balslev Backe, Michael Lynge Pedersen
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, Vol 82, Iss 1 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 22423982
2242-3982
DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2195136
Popis: ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to estimate prevalence of patients with asthma in Greenland according to age, gender and residence and to investigate the associated quality of care. The study was performed as a cross-sectional study with data extracted from the Greenlandic electronical medical record. A total of 870 patients aged 12 years or above were diagnosed with asthma at the end of 2022, corresponding to a prevalence of 1.9%. In 2020, the total prevalence was 0.2%. The prevalence of patients aged 12 years or above with asthma was highest among patients in Nuuk (3.3%) compared with patients in the remaining parts of Greenland (1.1%). More women than men were diagnosed with asthma, and the prevalence increased with age from 20 to 59 years. The prevalence of current smokers was high among the asthma population. The quality of care was significantly higher among patients living in Nuuk for all process indicators compared with patients from the remaining parts of Greenland. The prevalence of asthma in Greenland is low compared to other comparable populations and might be underestimated. Initiatives supporting increased focus on diagnosing asthma are thus warranted.
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