Baseline characteristics of the study population
| All | Men | Women | |
| Subjects, n (%) | 3619 | 1705 (47) | 1914 (53) |
| CVE, n (%) | 629 | 396 (63) | 233 (37) |
| Anthropometric data | |||
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.2 (23.8–28.9) | 26.5 (24.3–28.9) | 25.9 (23.8–28.9) |
| Systolic pressure (mm Hg) | 136 (122–152) | 141 (128–155) | 132 (118–148) |
| Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) | 84 (77–91) | 87 (80–94) | 81 (75–88) |
| Biochemical values (mmol/L) | |||
| Total cholesterol | 5.9 (5.3–6.6) | 5.8 (5.1–6.5) | 6.1 (5.4–6.7) |
| LDL | 3.8 (3.2–4.5) | 3.8 (3.2–4.4) | 3.8 (3.2–4.5) |
| HDL | 1.5 (1.2–1.7) | 1.3 (1.1–1.5) | 1.6 (1.4–1.9) |
| Fasting glucose | 5.2 (4.8–5.7) | 5.3 (5.0–5.8) | 5.1 (4.7–5.5) |
| Cardiovascular risk factors, % | |||
| Hypertension | 15.8 | 15.8 | 15.7 |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 3.5 | 4.2 | 2.9 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 6.1 | 8.5 | 4.1 |
| Current smoking | 21 | 20 | 22 |
| Ongoing medical treatment, % | |||
| Menopausal hormone therapy | NA | NA | 9.0 |
| IL6 system biomarkers | |||
| IL6 (pg/mL) | 0.59 (0.42–0.89) | 0.62 (0.44–0.90) | 0.56 (0.39–0.88) |
| sIL6R (ng/mL) | 33.4 (27.1–41.5) | 35.8 (29.0–44.4) | 31.4 (25.7–38.4) |
| sgp130 (ng/mL) | 383 (320–451) | 396 (339–459) | 368 (306–443) |
| Binary/ternary complex ratio | |||
| B/T ratio | 1.59 (1.55–1.62) | 1.59 (1.56–1.62) | 1.58 (1.54–1.61) |
Continuous variables are presented as median (IQR) and categorical variables are presented in percentages. CVE n, (%)=number of CVEs and the proportion of CVEs in the cohort and each subgroup. Missing values (men/women): systolic and diastolic blood pressure n=3 (2/1), LDL n=45 (34/11), current smoking n=44 (20/24).
CVE, cardiovascular event; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; NA, not applicable.