Medical and physiological problems of the Arctic

The overview of studies of natural-climatic factors in the Arctic and their impact on working capacity and health of permanent or temporary residents of the Arctic is given. Various authors noted such negative factors for the human organism as sunlight shortage, cold, unusual photoperiodism, increased electro- magnetic background, unhealthy water and food, ecological and social problems etc. The inhabitants of the Arctic experience such physiologically adverse health conditions as hypokinesia, hypovitaminoses, microelementoses, hypoxia, immunodeficiency, desynchronoses, “polar dyspnea”, “polar strain syndrome” etc. In the Far North increased morbidity and mortality with increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal and neurological disorders, occupational morbidity and higher incidence of complications in pregnancies and childbirth were observed. One of the main causes of health problems in northerners is chronic tissue hypothermia in the massive “shell” of human body during long cold periods of the year. Extremely low air humidity in frosty days increases water losses in northerners (“thrust in northerners”), reduced oxygen consumption coefficient leads to hypoxia. In cold period of the year the inhabitants of the Far North have decreased physical working capacity. The life expectancy of the indigenous peoples of the North is markedly reduced. Therefore permanent residence in the Arctic of migrants from other regions of the country is inadvisable. The medical and physiological recommendations for human activity in the Arctic and optimal adaptation to the harsh environmental conditions are given. For short-term or shift work in the Arctic the workers should go through medical and psychophysiological selection procedures, satisfactory sanitary-hygienic and social-economic conditions should be provided.