摘要：Objectives. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence and outcome ofinfectious endocarditis in Greenland with an emphasis on pneumococcal endocarditis. Study design. Retrospective, non-interventional study. Methods. Review of files and medical history of all patients with infectious endocarditis from thePatient Registry in Greenland in the 11-year period 1995–2005. Results. There were 25 cases of endocarditis, giving an incidence rate of 4.0/100,000 per year.Twenty-four percent of these cases were caused by Streptoccous pneumonia, which is significantlymore frequent than in studies on Caucasian populations, where pneumococcal infection was seenin 1–3% of endocarditis cases. The overall mortality rate was 12%. Pneumococcal endocarditis(PE) had the clinical characteristics of fulminant disease with frequent heart failure, complicationsand need for surgery. Among cases with PE, 67% needed acute valve replacement and themortality rate was 33%. Conclusions. The high incidence rate, clinical characteristics and grave prognosis of PE areconsistent with another study of an Inuit population in Alaska.(Int J Circumpolar Health 2009; 68(4):347-353)Keywords: Endocarditis, Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Pneumococcal infections, Inuit, Greenland
