Prevalence of patients treated with anti-diabetic medicine in Greenland and Denmark. A cross-sectional register study

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a large and growing worldwide health issue. Prior to this publication, a direct comparison of the prevalence of persons treated with anti-diabetic medicine in Greenland and Denmark has not been found. Therefore, the aim of this study is to estimate and compare the age- and gender-specific prevalence of patients treated with anti-diabetic medicine comparing Greenland and Denmark. The study was performed as a cross-sectional register study using data from population and medical registers in Greenland and Denmark. A total of 784 Greenlandic and 215,580 Danish patients treated with anti-diabetic medicine were included. The prevalence of patients aged 20–79 years treated with anti-diabetic medicine in Greenland was 2.6% (95% CI 2.4–2.8), much lower (p < 0.001) compared to Denmark with 5.2% (95% CI 5.2–5.2). The difference was less pronounced after excluding those treated with insulin and women below 45 years treated with metformin. In conclusion, this study showed a lower prevalence of patients treated with anti-diabetic medicine in Greenland than Denmark. The main reason may be a much higher prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes in Greenland, particularly among the middle-aged. Differences in awareness of diabetes and access to continued primary healthcare may be contributing factors.

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

“…The observed lower prevalence of patients receiving ULT in Greenland compared to Denmark is in line with previous studies investigating the prevalence of patients treated with antidiabetics and anti-depressive medicine also finding a lower prevalence in Greenland compared to Denmark [ 10 , 19 ]. The difference between Greenland and Denmark might be due to an actual lower prevalence of patients with gout in Greenland compared to Denmark.…”

Prevalence and quality of care among patients using medication targeting obstructive lung disease: a cross-sectional study in the five regions of Greenland

“…Even though Greenland is the largest island in the world, covering an area of more than 2 million km 2 , most of the area is uninhabited because of the icecap [ 14 ]. The population thus lives along the coastline, distributed in 17 towns and approximately 60 minor settlements [ 15 ].…”

“…The health care system in Greenland is divided into five health care regions covering a number of towns and settlements (see Figure 1 ). Each town has a primary health care centre, whereas the settlements have smaller health care units [ 15 , 16 ]. Secondary specialised health care is provided by Queen Ingrid’s Hospital in Nuuk.…”