Prevalence of Patients Receiving Urate-Lowering Medicine in Greenland and Denmark: A Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study.

This study estimates the age- and sex-specific prevalence of patients receiving urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in Greenland and compares the results with estimates in Denmark. Characteristics of patients receiving ULT in Greenland were compared to age- and sex-matched controls. The study was designed as a cross-sectional case−control study based on nationwide data from medical and population registers in Greenland and Denmark. The prevalence of patients receiving ULT was significantly lower in Greenland (0.55%) compared to Denmark (1.40%) (p < 0.001). In both countries, the prevalence increased with age and was higher among men compared to women. In Greenland, patients receiving ULT were more often overweight, and more frequently received blood glucose-, lipid-, and blood pressure-lowering medicine including diuretics compared to age- and sex-matched controls. The prevalence of patients receiving ULT was significantly lower in Greenland compared to Denmark. Common life-style related risk factors for hyperuricemia and gout were observed frequently among ULT-treated patients compared to controls. Along with an increasing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases in Greenland, the prevalence of patients receiving ULT may increase in the years to come. More focus on detection and management of hyperuricemia and gout in Greenland is warranted to improve quality of health care.

Syphilis in Greenland, 2015 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: An increase in the incidence of syphilis was reported in Greenland from 2011 to 2014, and notification rates kept rising in the following years in spite of focused efforts. To better understand the syphilis epidemic, this study was conducted to describe the syphilis epidemic in Greenland from 2015 to 2019. METHODS: Syphilis cases and their characteristics were identified through reviews of electronic medical records and laboratory results in 3 different data sets: notifications to the National Board of Health, electronic prescriptions for benzathine penicillin, and the national laboratory database. Annual incidences were calculated stratified by sex, age, and region. RESULTS: The incidence of syphilis in Greenland increased from 107.4 to 246.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants from 2015 to 2019. The incidence increased in both sexes and in nearly all regions, although with large regional differences. Especially the age group 15 to 29 years showed a substantial increase in incidence in 2018 and 2019. More females than males were infected (245 female cases vs. 178 male cases). CONCLUSIONS: The burden of syphilis in Greenland is high, primarily among the age group 15 to 29 years. A higher incidence among females than among males was found, suggesting mainly heterosexual transmission, as seen for other sexually transmitted infections in Greenland.