International Journal of Circumpolar Health (Dec 2024)
Skin diseases among adults in Tasiilaq, East Greenland
Abstract
Cold climate and unique genetic and environmental factors may influence the prevalence of skin diseases in Greenland. However, there is a lack of epidemiological studies on skin diseases in the adult Greenlandic population. To address this unmet need a cross-sectional study, run by dermatologists from Denmark, the UK, and Switzerland estimated the prevalence and clinical manifestations of skin diseases among adults in East Greenland in May 2022. All adults ≥18 years in the town of Tasiilaq were invited, and 295 individuals aged 18–78 years participated (22.5% of the overall adult population in Tasiilaq). Two-hundred and three participants (69%) had visible signs of current skin disease, and among these, 242 cases of dermatoses were identified. The most common skin diseases were hand eczema (22.4%), lichen simplex (9.5%), discoid eczema (7.1%), psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and acne vulgaris (5.8% each). Scabies was the most frequent infectious skin disease (4.4%). No cases of skin cancer were identified. Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis presented with disease that was of limited extent and different from the classical presentations. Skin diseases showed a high prevalence among adults in East Greenland, and some of them were severe. This indicates a noteworthy public health problem that warrants better access to dermatologist support.
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