Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec;81(1):2030522.
doi: 10.1080/22423982.2022.2030522.

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Greenland: a register-based cross-sectional study based on disease classifications and prescriptions of oral anticoagulants

N Albertsen  1   2   3 , S Riahi  2   4 , M L Pedersen  5   6 , N Skovgaard  6 , S Andersen  1   2   3   6
Affiliations

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Greenland: a register-based cross-sectional study based on disease classifications and prescriptions of oral anticoagulants

N Albertsen et al. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Previous studies of the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Greenland are based on either single-point electrocardiograms (ECGs) or patients admitted with stroke. This study estimates the prevalence of AF based on disease classifications in the electronic medical record system (EMR) and prescriptions of oral anticoagulants (OACs). Patients given a diagnose classification code for AF or atrial flutter or prescribed the vitamin K antagonist Warfarin or the direct-acting oral anticoagulant Rivaroxaban were identified in the EMR. Descriptive data and selected laboratory values were extracted, and a minimum CHA2DS2-VASc score was calculated for the 790 patients identified in the EMR (66% men). A total prevalence of AF of 1.4% was found in the general population (1.8% among men and 1.0% among women), with a significantly lower prevalence among women younger than 70 years. There was a significant increase in AF-prevalence with advancing age (p<0.001) for both men and women. A minimum CHA2DS2-VASc was estimated and app. 10% of the patients may be undertreated with OACs. The prevalence of AF found in this study is higher than that found in previous studies in Greenland and comparable to the prevalence found in other Western countries, indicating that AF is common in Greenland.

Keywords: Arctic; Greenland; Inuit; atrial fibrillation; atrial flutter; stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

References

    1. Senftleber NK, Albrechtsen A, Lauritzen L, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cardiovascular disease in Inuit: first prospective cohort study. Atherosclerosis. 2020. Nov;312:28–7. - PubMed
    1. Jørgensen ME, Bjerregaard P, Kjærgaard JJ, et al. High prevalence of markers of coronary heart disease among Greenland Inuit. Atherosclerosis. 2008. Feb;196(2):772–778. - PubMed
    1. Kjaergaard M, Andersen S, Holten M, et al. Low occurrence of ischemic heart disease among Inuit around 1963 suggested from ECG among 1851 East Greenland Inuit. Atherosclerosis. 2009. Apr;203(2):599–603. - PubMed
    1. Bjorn-Mortensen K, Lynggaard F, Pedersen ML.. High prevalence of atrial fibrillation among Greenlanders with ischemic stroke - atrial fibrillation found in more than 30% of cases. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2013. Nov 22;72(1):22628. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Romero JR, Wolf PA. Epidemiology of stroke: legacy of the Framingham Heart Study. Glob Heart. 2013. Mar 1;8(1):67–75. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types