Norwegian Armed Forces - Joint Medical Services (NAF-JMS), Sessvollmoen, Norway.
National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM), Department of Community Medicine, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
Int J Circumpolar Health. 2023 Dec;82(1):2227344. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2227344.
Freezing cold injuries (FCI) are a common risk in extreme cold weather warfare operations. The Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF) have the expertise and capabilities in education and training for warfighting capabilities in the Arctic. Nevertheless, a substantial number of Norwegian soldiers sustain freezing cold injuries annually. The aim of this study was to describe the FCI in the NAF, the associated risk factors and clinical associations.
The subjects for the study were soldiers registered with FCI in the Norwegian Armed Forces Health Registry (NAFHR) between January 1st 2004-July1st 2021. The soldiers answered a questionnaire regarding background, activities at the time of injury, description of the FCI, risk factors, medical treatment and any sequelae from their FCI.
FCI in the NAF were most frequently reported among young conscripts (mean20.5 years). Hands and feet are most often injured (90.9%). Only a minority (10.4%) received medical treatment. The majority (72.2%) report sequelae. Extreme weather conditions was the most important risk factor (62.5%).
Most soldiers had the knowledge to avoid FCI, but they were injured anyway. It is concerning that only one in 10 injured soldiers received medical treatment after diagnosed with FCI, increasing the risk of FCI sequelae.
冻伤是在极寒天气作战行动中常见的风险。挪威武装部队（NAF）在北极作战能力的教育和培训方面拥有专业知识和能力。然而，每年仍有相当数量的挪威士兵遭受冻伤。本研究的目的是描述挪威武装部队冻伤的情况、相关危险因素和临床关联。
本研究的研究对象为 2004 年 1 月 1 日至 2021 年 7 月 1 日期间在挪威武装部队健康登记处（NAFHR）登记患有冻伤的士兵。这些士兵回答了一份关于背景、受伤时的活动、冻伤描述、危险因素、治疗方法以及冻伤后遗症的问卷。
NAF 中最常报告的冻伤发生在年轻的新兵中（平均年龄 20.5 岁）。手和脚是最常受伤的部位（90.9%）。只有少数（10.4%）士兵接受了治疗。大多数（72.2%）报告有后遗症。极端天气条件是最重要的危险因素（62.5%）。
大多数士兵都有避免冻伤的知识，但他们还是受伤了。令人担忧的是，只有十分之一的受伤士兵在被诊断出患有冻伤后接受了治疗，这增加了冻伤后遗症的风险。
