Møller Mie, Abelsen Trine, Sørensen Anna Irene Vedel, Andersson Mikael, Hansen Lennart Friis, Dilling-Hansen Christine, Kirkby Nikolai, Vedsted Peter, Mølbak Kåre, Koch Anders
Greenland Center for Health Research, University of Greenland, Nuuk, Greenland.
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
IJID Reg. 2024 Apr 14;11:100366. doi: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2024.100366. eCollection 2024 Jun.
This study aimed to explore how the Greenlandic population experienced the course of both acute and long-term COVID-19. It was motivated by the unique epidemiologic situation in Greenland, with delayed community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 relative to the rest of the world.
In a survey among 310 Greenlandic adults, we assessed the association between previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and overall health outcomes by administering three repeated questionnaires over 12 months after infection, with a response rate of 41% at the 12-month follow-up. The study included 128 individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from January/February 2022 and 182 test-negative controls. Participants were recruited through personal approaches, phone calls, and social media platforms.
A total of 53.7% of 162 participants who were test-positive recovered within 4 weeks and 2.5% were hospitalized due to SARS-CoV-2. The most common symptoms were fatigue and signs of mild upper respiratory tract infection. Less than 5% reported sick leave above 2 weeks after infection. Compared with participants who were test-negative, there was an increased risk of reporting fatigue (risk differences 25.4%, 95% confidence interval 8.8-44.0) and mental exhaustion (risk differences 23.4%, 95% confidence interval 4.8-42.2) up to 12 months after a positive test.
Our results indicate that during a period dominated by the Omicron variant, Greenlanders experienced a mild acute course of COVID-19, with quick recovery, minimizing the impact on sick leave. Long COVID may be present in Greenlanders, with symptoms persisting up to 12 months after infection. However, it is important to consider the small sample size and modest response rate as limitations when interpreting the results.
本研究旨在探讨格陵兰人群经历急性和长期新冠病毒病的情况。其动因是格陵兰独特的流行病学状况，即严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的社区传播相对于世界其他地区有所延迟。
在一项针对310名格陵兰成年人的调查中，我们在感染后12个月内通过发放三份重复问卷来评估既往SARS-CoV-2感染与总体健康结果之间的关联，在12个月随访时的应答率为41%。该研究纳入了2022年1月/2月确诊感染SARS-CoV-2的128名个体以及182名检测阴性对照。参与者通过个人联系、电话和社交媒体平台招募。
在162名检测呈阳性的参与者中，共有53.7%在4周内康复，2.5%因SARS-CoV-2住院。最常见的症状是疲劳和轻度上呼吸道感染迹象。感染后报告病假超过2周的不到5%。与检测阴性的参与者相比，检测呈阳性后长达12个月报告疲劳（风险差异25.4%，95%置信区间8.8 - 44.0）和精神疲惫（风险差异23.4%，95%置信区间4.8 - 42.2）的风险增加。
我们的结果表明，在以奥密克戎变异株为主导的时期，格陵兰人经历了轻度的急性新冠病毒病病程，恢复迅速，对病假的影响最小。格陵兰人可能存在长期新冠病毒病，症状在感染后可持续长达12个月。然而，在解释结果时，重要的是要将样本量小和应答率适中视为局限性因素。
