Publications by authors named "Marit Eika Jorgensen"

Background: Individuals with diabetes and co-existing psychiatric disorders have more diabetes complications and lower life expectancy than those with diabetes but no co-existing psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric health professionals may have a role in improving these outcomes but often lack diabetes knowledge and skills. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a diabetes training course for psychiatric health professionals on their diabetes knowledge and skills and clinical outcomes, diabetes support and diabetes distress among individuals with diabetes and psychiatric disorders treated in psychiatric outpatient clinics.

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This study aims to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and other selected diseases including hypertension, atrial fibrillation, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis and depression among Greenlanders living in Nuuk with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study was designed as a cross-sectional case-control study based on data from the electronic medical record (EMR) in Greenland. Persons with a registered T2D diagnosis in EMR and residence in Nuuk ( = 435) were included.

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Purpose: Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a common diabetic complication associated with excess morbidity and mortality. CAN is also seen in conditions such as Parkinson's disease. Normative reference data for cardiovascular autonomic function are used to stratify individuals into those with and without CAN.

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Preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes (T2D) involves adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as balanced nutrition and regular exercise. Maturity Onset Diabetes of The Young (MODY) shares diagnostic characteristics with T2D, but exercise responses in MODY remain unclear. In Greenland, MODY is 4-5 times more common than in other countries.

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Vision screening during childhood is vital for the early detection and treatment of visual impairment that may significantly impact a child's development and quality of life. This nationwide cross-sectional study used data from Greenland's national electronic medical records, including 2,493 six-year-old children from July 2017 to July 2023, to evaluate the coverage rate of vision screening and the prevalence of low vision in Greenlandic schoolchildren. The participation rate in vision screening increased from 43% in 2017 to 61% in 2022, while referral rates to ophthalmologists decreased from 14% to 5%, despite a consistent prevalence of low vision.

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There is high prevalence of the genetic variant c.273_274delAG in the sucrase-isomaltase-encoding gene in Greenland, resulting in congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency and thereby an inability to digest sucrose, the most common dietary sugar. There are no studies of Greenlanders' everyday experiences of sucrose intolerance related to this genetic variant.

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Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of amblyopia and refractive errors among 6-year-old children in Greenland and to assess the impact of incorporating autorefraction, stereoacuity and near visual acuity testing into vision screening.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 517 children (238 girls and 279 boys) from 21 locations in Greenland were screened using HOTV charts for distance and near visual acuity (VA), stereoacuity test and non-cycloplegic autorefraction. Referral criteria for further ophthalmological examination included a VA of ≥0.

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Background And Aims: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses significant health challenges globally. While substantial data exists for most populations, the Arctic Inuit's CVD incidence rates remain understudied. This research aimed to change this by estimating CVD incidence and mortality rates in Greenland from 1994 to 2021.

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Background: Disease prevalence and mean phenotype values differ between many populations, including Inuit and Europeans. Whether these differences are partly explained by genetic differences or solely due to differences in environmental exposures is still unknown, because estimates of the genetic contribution to these means, which we will here refer to as mean genotypic values, are easily confounded, and because studies across genetically diverse populations are lacking.

Methods: Leveraging the unique genetic properties of the small, admixed and historically isolated Greenlandic population, we estimated the differences in mean genotypic value between Inuit and European genetic ancestry using an admixed sibling design.

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Background: Time-restricted eating (TRE) has been suggested to be a simple, feasible, and effective dietary strategy for individuals with overweight or obesity. We aimed to investigate the effects of 3 months of 10-h per-day TRE and 3 months of follow-up on bodyweight and cardiometabolic risk factors in individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This was a single-centre, parallel, superiority, open-label randomised controlled clinical trial conducted at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (Denmark).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of death globally, and while Greenland historically had a low prevalence of these diseases, recent life changes have led to increased occurrences, particularly among the elderly.
  • - A study comparing NCD prevalence in Nuuk, Greenland, to a suburban area in Denmark found that hypertension was the most common in both locations, but Nuuk had higher rates of diabetes and other conditions, while the Danish suburb had higher rates of asthma and several additional NCDs.
  • - The findings indicate that NCDs are increasingly common in Nuuk, highlighting the need for improved focus on NCD management in Greenland's healthcare system as the prevalence may now be comparable to more urbanized settings. *
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Retina fundus images conducted in Greenland are telemedically assessed for diabetic retinopathy by ophthalmological nurses in Denmark. Applying an AI grading solution, in a Greenlandic setting, could potentially improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of DR screening. We developed an AI model using retina fundus photos, performed on persons registered with diabetes in Greenland and Denmark, using Optos® ultra wide-field scanning laser ophthalmoscope, graded according to ICDR.

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Background: Congenital sucrase isomaltase deficiency (CSID) is in general a very rare disease. However, 2-3% of the Greenlandic population are homozygous (HO) carriers of an Arctic-specific loss-of-function (LoF) variant in the sucrase-isomaltase (SI) encoding gene, causing CSID. The condition is characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomachache, diarrhea, and weight loss when consuming sucrose, the most common dietary sugar.

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Understanding ethnic variations in body composition is crucial for assessing health risks. Universal models may not suit all ethnicities, and there is limited data on the Inuit population. This study aimed to compare body composition between Inuit and European adults using computed tomography (CT) scans and to investigate the influence of demographics on these measurements.

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In Greenland, traditional marine foods are increasingly being replaced by sucrose- and starch-rich foods. A knock-out c.273_274delAG variant in the sucrase-isomaltase () gene is relatively common in Greenland, with homozygous carriers being unable to digest sucrose and some starch.

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The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Greenland and evaluate quality of care according to sex, region and healthcare unit within regions. Data on all inhabitants registered with diabetes were extracted from the electronic medical record. We found a crude prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the population aged ≥ 20 years to be 4.

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Perceived physical exertion is increased when exercise is performed on metformin treatment, but the clinical relevance of this is unknown. In this post hoc analysis of a randomized, controlled trial, we investigated whether metformin treatment was associated with lower levels of free-living physical activity.   Ninety individuals with overweight/obesity (BMI>25 m/kg) and HbAc-defined prediabetes (39-47 mmol/mol) were randomized to treatment with dapagliflozin (SGLT2-inhibitor; 10 mg once daily, n=30), metformin (850 mg twice daily, n=30) or no treatment (control, n=30) for 13 weeks in a parallel-group, open-label trial.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied lipid levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Greenlanders to identify genetic variants linked to these traits.
  • They discovered 11 significant genetic loci affecting lipid traits, including a new variant near the PCSK9 gene that contributes to lower LDL and total cholesterol levels.
  • The findings highlight that while some genetic factors are shared with Europeans, the overall genetic makeup in Greenlanders shows a unique architecture, with fewer variants influencing lipid levels.
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Genetic variants causing loss of sucrase-isomaltase (SI) function result in malabsorption of sucrose and starch components and the condition congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID). The identified genetic variants causing CSID are very rare in all surveyed populations around the globe, except the Arctic-specific c.273_274delAG loss-of-function (LoF) variant, which is common in the Greenlandic Inuit and other Arctic populations.

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The aim of this study was to examine the effect of diabetes and the diabetogenic TBC1D4 variant on kidney function in Greenland in a population-based setting. Health survey data and TBC1D4 genotypes from 5,336 Greenlanders were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of albuminuria (>30 mg/g creatinine) and chronic kidney disease (CKD, eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73m), comparing individuals with and without diabetes, including the effect of TBC1D4 variant.

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The purpose was to analyse the association of muscular strength, muscle pain and reduced mobility in daily life with mental wellbeing among older Inuit men and women in Greenland. Data (N = 846) was collected as part of a countrywide cross-sectional health survey in 2018. Hand grip strength and 30-seconds chair stand test were measured according to established protocols.

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Heart Failure (HF) constitutes a significant burden for healthcare around the world. In Greenland, risk factors like smoking, diabetes, and obesity are prevalent. Yet, the prevalence of HF remains unexplored.

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Article Synopsis
  • Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) face a higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) complications and mortality, but improving CV risk factors can help reduce these risks.
  • A study examined trends from 1996 to 2017, analyzing CV risk factors, treatment patterns, and the incidence of diabetes-related CV complications among 41,630 T1D individuals.
  • Results showed improvements in key CV indicators (like HbA and LDL-C) from 2010 to 2017, yet a significant portion remained poorly regulated; trends in medication use for lipid-lowering and blood pressure also showed increases followed by declines, with medication use linked to varying incidence rates of complications.
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Aims: Low blood oxygen saturation is associated with increased mortality and persons with diabetes have sub-clinical hypoxemia. We aimed to confirm the presence of sub-clinical hypoxemia in pre-diabetes, screen-detected diabetes and known diabetes.

Methods: Pre-diabetes was defined as hemoglobin A1C (HbA) ≥ 42 mmol/mol and <48 mmol/mol; known diabetes as history or treatment of diabetes; screen-detected diabetes as no history or treatment of diabetes and HbA ≥ 48 mmol/mol.

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