Discharge diagnoses of liver diseases in Nuuk Greenland compared to a Danish county hospital.
BACKGROUND
It is a frequently held notion that Inuits/Greenlanders are less prone to develop chronic liver disease than Europeans. High alcohol consumption and chronic viral infection are more frequent in Greenland than in Denmark.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study to examine the incidence and prevalence of liver discharge diagnosis with focus on cirrhosis among hospital-admitted patients in Greenland and Denmark.


METHODS
Register-based ICD-10 discharge diagnoses from Queen Ingrid's Hospital, Greenland, (n = 1072) and Randers Central Hospital, Denmark, (n = 4599) were used to compare the incidence and prevalence of cirrhosis in hospitalised patients during 1998.


RESULTS
Five patients (0.47%) in Greenland and 36 (0.78%) in Denmark had a liver discharge diagnosis (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.26-1.72). Two patients (0.19%) in Greenland compared to 25 (0.54%) in Denmark had a cirrhosis associated discharge liver diagnosis (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.08-1.45). The number of newly diagnosed discharged patients was smaller in Greenland, 2 (0.19%), vs. Denmark, 14 (0.30%), (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.14-2.70).


CONCLUSIONS
Discharge liver diagnoses were not more frequent in Greenland than in Denmark--if anything, the hospital prevalence and incidence of liver discharge diagnoses were lower. This may reflect fewer cirrhosis cases in Greenland, and/or a shorter survival time, or lack of follow up.
Rokkjaer
Malene S
MS
Department of Medicine V, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Jensen
Mariann T
MT
Grønbaek
Henning
H
Jepsen
Peter
P
Pedersen
Henning S
HS
Vilstrup
Hendrik
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001110:Arctic Regions; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006116:Greenland / Q000453:epidemiology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*