Health Consequences of Wintering in the French Southern and Antarctic Territories

Polar stays expose people to extreme climate, isolation and confinement. The combination of these factors induces psychological disorders, sleep disorders, immune and endocrine disturbances, and deficiencies. In the TAAF, (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) two types of population coexist: winter residents, exposed to these stressors over long periods, and country people, who benefit from milder conditions and only make short stays. In this context, the investigators have decided to set up this cohort study with the objective of comparing the state of health of the winterers of the TAAF from 2012 to 2017 with that of the country people of the same period, before their stay, during and the year following their return.