[Arteriosclerosis in Greenlanders]

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Medical imaging
• Public health

Background:

• Arteriosclerotic complications are less frequent in Greenlanders compared to Danes.
• The underlying reasons for this epidemiological difference are not fully understood.
• Generalized arteriosclerosis is a potential contributing factor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of abdominal aortic arteriosclerosis between Greenlanders and Danes.
• To investigate if generalized arteriosclerosis differs between the two populations.
• To explore potential explanations for the observed differences in arteriosclerotic complications.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of X-ray examinations of the lumbar spine.
• Inclusion of 268 Greenlanders and an equal number of Danes.
• Assessment for major calcifications indicative of arteriosclerotic lesions in the abdominal aorta.

Main Results:

• Major calcifications of the abdominal aorta were found in 10.4% of Greenlanders and 11.6% of Danes.
• No significant differences in age and sex distribution were observed between affected individuals in both groups.
• The prevalence of generalized arteriosclerosis did not significantly differ between Greenlanders and Danes.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates that generalized arteriosclerosis occurs with similar frequency in Greenlanders and Danes.
• The lower incidence of arteriosclerotic complications in Greenlanders cannot be attributed to a rarer occurrence of generalized atherosclerosis.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the factors contributing to the lower complication rates in Greenlanders.