Characteristics of study population
| Variable | Without CRF | With CRF |
| No. of participants | 49 791 | 3751 |
| Male/female | 23 800/25 991 | 2205/1546 |
| No. of person-years | 891 426.17 | 54 324.42 |
| No. of deaths caused by CVD | 4109 | 849 |
| No. of deaths caused by IHD | 2424 | 547 |
| No. of deaths caused by stroke | 1388 | 290 |
| No. of deaths caused by other cardiovascular causes/unspecified | 297 | 12 |
| Age at study entry, y | 47.0 (17.1) | 63.6 (11.4) |
| Age at overall death, y | 77.9 (12.1) | 80.0 (9.3) |
| Age at death from CVD, y | 79.7 (10.4) | 79.9 (9.1) |
| Age at death from IHD, y | 77.6 (10.6) | 78.7 (9.2) |
| Age at death from stroke, y | 81.5 (9.4) | 82.3 (7.9) |
| Follow-up period, median (range) | 19.7 (0.0–20.9) | 17.5 (0.0–20.9) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 134.4 (22.1) | 155.3 (22.4) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 83.2 (11.6) | 90.9 (11.1) |
| Blood pressure medication (% current) | 6.9 | 22.3 |
| Weight (kg) (SD) | 71.5 (12.6) | 81.8 (11.3) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 24.8 (3.8) | 29.0 (3.5) |
| Non-fasting blood glucose (≥6mmol/L) | 3372 | 3751 |
| Diabetes (%) | 0.9 | 18 |
| Maritial status (% married) | 68.9 | 71.4 |
| Educational level (% college/university) | 45.1 | 19.3 |
| Smoking status (% current) | 33.8 | 20.8 |
Data are presented as mean (SD). CRF, cardiovascular risk factors; CVD, cardiovascular disease; IHD, ischaemic heart disease.