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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Cancer of the digestive system in Circumpolar Inuit.

Cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder, biliary tract and pancreas was studied in the Inuit populations of Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Indirect standardization to the populations in Canada, Connecticut (USA) and Denmark was used. High risk of oesophageal cancer was observed in both sexes with standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of up to 7. An increased risk of colon and rectum cancer occurred among Alaskan Inuit compared with the Inuit populations in Canada and Greenland, which had lower rates. Liver and gallbladder cancer rates were high, with SIRs of 1.5 to 4.1, whereas there were no differences in pancreatic cancer in the populations compared. Dietary habits, alcohol and tobacco consumption are believed to play an important role in most of the observed cancer patterns, but for liver cancer hepatitis B virus infection is also believed to have a causal role.

Alaska↗
PubMed1996

Cancer of the male genital tract in Circumpolar Inuit.

In an international collaboration project we combined cancers of the male genital tract among Inuit identified from routine cancer registry systems in the Circumpolar region (Alaska, Canada and Greenland) and compared incidence rates with rates in Denmark, Connecticut (USA) and Canadian non-Inuit. We observed a low risk of prostate cancer (standardized incidence ratio (SIR) 0.2-0.3) and the incidence rate of 7.8 per 100 000 (world standard) is among the lowest in the world. Dietary and not diagnostic factors are likely explanations of this finding. Testicular cancer also occurred with low rates (SIR 0.3-0.7) although only significantly so when compared with Denmark and Connecticut (USA) which have some of the world's highest incidence rates of this cancer. Penile cancer occurred with relatively high risk (SIR 1.8-3.0) based on rates among non-Inuit. The incidence is, however, lower than anticipated considering the possibility for shared risk factors with cancer of the uterine cervix.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Kidney and bladder cancer in Inuit 1969-1988.

The incidence of cancers of the kidney and urinary bladder in Inuit 1969-1988 was studied as part of an international collaboration combining results from cancer registries for Circumpolar Inuit residing in Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Significant high risk of renal cancer was found in Inuit women (SIRs 1.4-2.1) and the age-standardized incidence rate among women was one of the highest on record world-wide. Cancer of the urinary bladder, as opposed to renal cancer, was an uncommon malignancy in both sexes with SIRs of 0.2 to 0.4. No consistent time trend was observed for either renal or bladder cancer in contrast to high and sharply increasing lung cancer rates during the same period. Such results are more likely caused by different latency periods for renal and bladder cancer than for lung cancer following tobacco exposure, possibly combined with the absence of certain occupational exposures relevant to bladder cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Cancer in Circumpolar Inuit 1969-1988. A summary.

The results of an international, collaborative study of cancer in Circumpolar Inuit in Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Russia are summarized. A total of 3 255 incident cancers were diagnosed from 1969 to 1988 among 85 000-110 000 individuals. Indirect standardization (SIR) based on comparison populations in Connecticut (USA), Canada and Denmark showed excess risk of cancer of the lung, nasopharynx, salivary glands, gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts in both sexes, of liver and stomach cancer in men, and renal and cervical cancer in women. Low risk was observed for cancer of the bladder, breast, endometrium and prostate, and for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, leukaemia, multiple myeloma and melanoma. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) of cancer of lung, cervix, nasopharynx and salivary glands among Inuit were among the world's highest as were rates in women of oesophageal and renal cancer. Regional differences in ASRs within the Circumpolar area were observed for cancer of the cervix, lung, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder and breast. The differences in the Inuit cancer incidence pattern to some extent reflect known variations in lifestyle, diet and other exposures, as well as implementation of cancer control measures. Future research addressing possible individual differences are needed to evaluate environmental and genetic factors in etiology and evaluate intervention studies.

Alaska↗
PubMed2003

Contributions to chronic disease prevention and control: studies among the Kivalliq Inuit since 1990.

A population-based health interview and examination survey of 8 Inuit communities in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, Canada, during the early 1990s has resulted in an increased understanding of the burden and extent of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and their risk factors such as genetics, obesity, lipids, blood pressure and fatty acids. A recent national health interview survey which included a sample from Nunavut indicates that the Inuit still enjoy some advantages relative to other Canadians (lower level of self-reported diabetes and hypertension) and disadvantages (higher level of smoking, obesity, and heavy drinking). The pattern of health and disease among the Inuit is rapidly evolving, as the traditional lifestyle becomes further eroded. A long-term prospective cohort study that monitors this trend, investigates the etiology, and identifies potential interventions is urgently needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Very high concentrations of n-3 fatty acids in peri- and postmenopausal Inuit women from Greenland.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to examine the profile of relative concentrations in plasma phospholipids of n-3 fatty acids among peri- and postmenopausal Inuit women living in Greenland and to verify their relationships with ischemic heart disease risk factors and more particularly, with concentrations of plasma triacylglycerols. STUDY DESIGN: This study was part of a survey conducted in 2000, which aimed to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis and the associated risk factors among peri- and postmenopausal Greenland Inuit women. METHODS: The study population consisted of 153 women aged 49-69 years (mean +/- SD: 55.3 +/- 4.4 y) randomly selected. Data were obtained through an interview (questionnaire on lifestyle habits, medical history etc) and a clinical session (physiologic and anthropologic measurements). Plasma samples were used to measure the fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids. RESULTS: The mean body mass index of women was 27.9 +/- 6.1. Seventy-five percent were smokers and 9% were currently on hormone replacement therapy. Relative concentrations of total n-3 fatty acids were very high (13.8%, 95% CI: 13.1-14.6), with docosahexanoic and eicosapentanoic acids accounting for 4.7% and 7.2%, respectively. The ratio of n-3:n-6 fatty acids was 0.67. n-3 fatty acids were inversely correlated to triacylglycerols. CONCLUSION: These data show that peri- and post-menopausal Greenland Inuit women have very high plasma concentrations of n-3 fatty acids that protect them from ischemic heart disease.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Heart defects and other malformations in the Inuit in Canada: a baseline study.

OBJECTIVES: Birth defects occur in all ethnic groups, remaining an important world-wide cause of perinatal and infant morbidity. This contributes greatly to an excess of health care dollars allocated to the care and repair of those affected. This is especially true when those affected live in remote geographical locations. STUDY DESIGN: A chart review of 2567 live births of children of Inuit parents residing in Arctic Quebec (Nunavik) and on Baffin Island (Nunavut) between 1989 and 1994 (five years) was carried out compared to rates of anomalies of the Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System (ACASS). RESULTS: Birth defects were higher in the Inuit sample in nearly every major ICD-9 category with the exception of neural tube defects, eye anomalies and chromosome abnormalities. (Total: 99.7/1000 Vs 51.5/1000; OR 1.93 95% CI 1.7-2.3). Congenital heart defects were significantly increased 22.9/1000 Vs 5.6/1000, with an OR of 4.18 (95% CI 3.2-5.4) in the ICD-9 category 745. In particular, ventricular septal defects (VSDs) and atrial septal defects (ASDs) (OR 4.9 CI 3.5-6.9 and 4.6 CI 2.9-7.2) were frequent. CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of heart defects was an important contributor to the nearly two times rate of total birth defects in the Inuit compared to the ACASS. Further study should be carried out to determine the contributing factors. Genetic predisposition to specific heart defects, and a diet low in folate and vitamin A are considerations. The use of alcohol may exacerbate vitamin status in pregnancy. Optimizing vitamin status in the periconceptional period may reduce the rate of birth defects.

Canada↗
PubMed2005

Body mass index may overestimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Inuit.

Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used body weight classification system but has known limitations, and may need to be adjusted for sitting height in order to be useful as an indicator of health risks in special populations. Data confirm that Inuit and Far East Asians have shorter legs and relatively higher sitting heights compared with all other populations. Using standing height alone to calculate the BMI may overestimate the number of individuals that are overweight and obese, and at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease among the Inuit. Measuring sitting height allows for the calculation of a sitting height-to-standing height ratio (SH/S) which can be used to correct the observed BMI. Incorporating sitting height measurements into health research could help formulate Inuit-specific screening guidelines.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1998

The prevalence of otitis media with effusion among Inuit children.

PURPOSE: Studies over the past 30 years have shown a decline in the prevalence of chronic otitis media in some parts of the Arctic, presumably largely due to more prompt treatment, preventing acute infections from becoming chronic. In contrast, some researchers have suggested that the prevalence of otitis media with effusion has increased. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of otitis media with effusion among children aged 6-17 years in Sanikiluaq, an Inuit community in the Keewatin District of the Northwest Territories. METHODS: A cohort of 126 children at the local community school was examined and assessed by otoscopy, audiometry, and impedance testing. RESULTS: Four percent of children were found to have otitis media with effusion causing significant hearing loss. An additional 17% had otitis media with effusion, with minimal or no detectable hearing loss. Thus, the prevalence of otitis media with effusion in Sanikiluaq school-age children is 4% to 21%. There are few previously published data with which to compare these findings. In the past, otitis media with effusion was infrequently reported among the Inuit. Therefore, our results may suggest an increasing prevalence over the past several decades. If these results are representative of other communities, otitis media with effusion is a significant health problem among the Inuit.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Lower respiratory tract infections in Inuit infants on Baffin Island.

BACKGROUND: It has long been suspected that Canadian Inuit children suffer from frequent severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), but the causes and risk factors have not been documented. This study assessed the infectious causes and other epidemiologic factors that may contribute to the severity of LRTI in young Inuit children on Baffin Island. METHODS: A prospective case study was carried out at the Baffin Regional Hospital in Iqaluit, Nunavut, of infants less than 6 months of age, who were admitted to hospital between October 1997 and June 1998 with a diagnosis of LRTI. Immunofluorescent antibody testing was used to identify respiratory viruses, and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test for Chlamydia trachomatis. Demographic and risk factor data were obtained through a questionnaire. RESULTS: The annualized incidence rate of admission to hospital for bronchiolitis at Baffin Regional Hospital was 484 per 1000 infants who were less than 6 months of age; 12% of the infants were intubated. Probable pathogens were identified for 18 of the 27 cases considered in our study. A single agent was identified for 14 infants: 8 had respiratory syncytial virus, 2 adenovirus, 1 rhinovirus, 1 influenza A, 1 parainfluenza 3 and 1 had cytomegalovirus. For 4 infants, 2 infectious agents were identified: these were enterovirus and Bordetella pertussis, adenovirus and enterovirus, cytomegalovirus and respiratory syncytial virus, and respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus. C. trachomatis was not identified by either EIA or PCR. All infants were exposed to maternal smoking in utero, second-hand smoke at home and generally lived in crowded conditions. INTERPRETATION: Inuit infants in the Baffin Region suffer from an extremely high rate of hospital admissions for LRTI. The high frequency and severity of these infections calls for serious public health attention.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed2001

Completed suicides among the Inuit of northern Quebec, 1982-1996: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The rate of completed suicide among Inuit in Canada has been alarmingly high in recent years, and the suicide rate among Inuit in northern Quebec has increased since 1982. Our objectives were to describe the characteristics of Inuit people who died by suicide in Nunavik between 1982 and 1996, and to identify the antecedents and correlates of completed suicide. METHODS: We carried out a case-control study of 71 people who died by suicide between 1982 and 1996 and 71 population-based living control subjects matched for sex, community of residence and age within 1 year. Comprehensive medical charts were reviewed for data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical and psychiatric history, childhood separations and family history, and use of health care services. RESULTS: Most of the case subjects were single males aged 15 to 24 years. The two principal means of suicide were hanging (in 39 cases [54.9%]) and gunshot (in 21 cases [29.6%]). About 33% had been in contact with medical personnel in the month before their death. The case subjects were significantly more likely than the control subjects to have received a lifetime psychiatric diagnosis (one or more of depression, personality disorder or conduct disorder) (odds ratio [OR] 4.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-15.2]) and to have had a history of psychiatric symptoms, disorder (including solvent sniffing) or treatment (OR 3.5 [95% CI 1.4-8.7]). The case subjects had experienced more severe types of nonpsychiatric illnesses and injuries than the control subjects (p = 0.04). The case subjects had more lifetime contacts with health care services than the control subjects (p = 0.01) and were more likely than the control subjects to have had contact with health care services in the year before death of the case subject (p = 0.03), even when psychiatric diagnoses were controlled for in conditional regression analysis (OR 1.02 [95% CI 1.01-1.04] and 5.0 [95% CI 1.07-23.7] respectively). INTERPRETATION: Since case subjects had frequent contact with health care services, frontline medical personnel may be in a position to identify people at risk for suicide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Adaptation of Inuit children to a low-calcium diet.

For Inuit children, a traditional diet contains 20 mg of elemental calcium per day, well below the recommended daily intake. To identify alterations in intestinal or renal calcium absorption, 10 healthy Inuit children (5 to 17 years of age) were given a standardized calcium load (Pak test). Five had hypercalciuria (hyperabsorptive in 3 and renal leak in 2), a frequency markedly different from that for white children (p < 0.004) and not explained by calcitropic hormone and serum calcium levels, which were normal. There was a preponderance of the bb vitamin D receptor genotype (8 of 10 subjects; p < 0.01 for comparison with white populations). Dietary calcium absorption appeared to be more efficient in these Inuit children, with an increased frequency of hypercalciuria associated with the bb genotype. This may represent a genetic adaptation to dietary constraints and may predispose to nephrolithiasis or nephrocalcinosis if standard nutritional guidelines are followed.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1988

Otologic findings in an Inuit population of cleft palate children.

Otitis media with effusion is almost universal in infants with cleft palate. Inuit children have a very high incidence of otitis media. The otologic problems of Inuit infants and children with cleft palate have not previously been reported. The current study presents 14 Inuit children with cleft palate. All show significant otitis media with effusion or chronic otitis media with tympanic membrane perforation. The management of otitis media in this special population of cleft palate children is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Lung function in Canadian Inuit: a follow-up study.

To assess the impact of acculturation on lung function, the forced vital capacity (FVC) and the 1-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1) of 341 Inuit at Igloolik, NWT were measured. The same observers had used the same equipment to test 196 subjects in 1970-71. Cross-sectional analysis suggested that, relative to the previous decade, younger subjects had larger lung volumes (with gains of about 10% in FVC and 5% in FEV1), while the elderly had smaller volumes (with losses of about 22% in FVC and 25% in FEV1). Longitudinal analysis confirmed an accelerating loss of lung function in the older subjects: from age 25 to 35 years men and women had a loss in FVC of 13 and 11 mL/yr respectively, whereas from age 45 to 55 years the corresponding figures were 70 and 38 mL/yr. Cigarette smoking had increased substantially among the Inuit over the decade: the proportion of males and females smoking rose from 64% to 81% and from 85% to 93% respectively. Daily cigarette consumption per smoker increased from 11.8 to 20.2 and from 7.4 to 12.0 among men and women respectively. Nevertheless, the main explanation for the shape of the ageing curve is the survival of a small cohort of elderly Inuit with advanced tuberculosis. With control of this disease future cohorts of the elderly will have better lung function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Vicissitudes of attachment: nurturance and dependence in Canadian Inuit family relationships, old and new.

This paper describes complex and counterbalancing motivations underlying attachment, which governed social life in traditional Inuit camps and continue to influence Inuit behaviour in modern settlements. These motivational patterns are capable of maintaining a strong sense of personal worth and connectedness with other people; but they can malfunction in difficult circumstances. The differing vicissitudes of nurturance and dependence in camps and in settlements are described, with focus on the development of a vicious circle, which can afflict the self-esteem of Inuit who live under modern conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Puberty, pregnancy, and menopause: lifecycle acculturation in a Copper Inuit community.

In the past three decades Copper Inuit women have gone from a situation of family-centered births in tents and snowhouses, to community births in government-run nursing stations to hospital births hundreds of miles from home. This process, which has been well documented by John O'Neil, Patricia Kaufert and others, is one aspect of the medical acculturation of the Canadian Inuit. The present work demonstrates how this medical acculturation has profoundly affected both the quality and the character of information flow between generations regarding all life cycle processes from bith to puberty to menopause. This paper examines the changes in the transmission of cultural information about life processes for 3 generations of Inuit women in the Central Canadian Arctic village of Holman and will consider the historical and social roots of these changes. Among the findings of the authors is that both elderly and young women are relatively knowledgeable regarding issues related to reproductive health and are comfortable discussing these topics. Women in their middle years, however, appear to be less knowledgeable and often display discomfort with the subject.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1995

Toxins and tradition: the impact of food-chain contamination on the Inuit of northern Quebec.

The dependence of Quebec Inuit on their traditional diet, known as "country food," is complicated by the presence of toxins in the northern food chain. Dr. Eric Dewailly's unexpected finding of high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Inuit women's breast milk prompted years of research into this troubling public health issue. In his recent study of heavy-metal contaminants Dewailly found that mercury and organic chlorine compounds such as PCBs were the major toxins in Inuit blood samples. Although not present at levels high enough to endanger adults, these contaminants may have adverse developmental effects on fetuses and breast-fed infants. Although country food is a major source of contaminants, it contains important nutrients that counter some of the toxic effects. Dewailly's research indicates that the nutritional, economic and cultural benefits of country food far outweigh the risks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Culture and mental illness among the Inuit of Nunavik].

While the major psychiatric disorders described in current nosology can be found among the Inuit of Northern Québec (Nunavik), there are important cultural influences on the symptomatology, social response and course of these disorders. A literature review, consideration of experiences with psychiatric consultation among the Inuit and the preliminary results of ongoing ethnographic research underscore the importance of the study of Inuit ethnopsychology and current attitudes toward the mentally ill in developing culturally sensitive psychiatric care.

Adult↗