Characteristics of patients with CVD and controls
| Case group | Control group | Standardised difference | |
| (N=39 648) | (N=39 648) | ||
| N (%) | N (%) | ||
| Age | |||
| Mean (SD) | 78.6 (7.3) | 78.5 (7.3) | |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 21 551 (54.4) | 21 551 (54.4) | |
| Female | 18 097 (45.6) | 18 097 (45.6) | |
| Complications | |||
| Type 2 diabetes mellitus | 6322 (15.9) | 4651 (11.7) | 0.122 |
| Essential (primary) hypertension | 13 368 (33.7) | 9799 (24.7) | 0.199 |
| Atrial fibrillation and flutter | 3256 (8.2) | 1113 (2.8) | 0.239 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 2711 (6.8) | 1164 (2.9) | 0.182 |
| Disorders of lipoprotein metabolism and other lipidaemias | 6566 (16.6) | 4873 (12.3) | 0.122 |
| Knee osteoarthritis | 2416 (6.1) | 2033 (5.1) | 0.042 |
| Hip osteoarthritis | 493 (1.2) | 433 (1.1) | 0.014 |
| Hand osteoarthritis | 53 (0.1) | 50 (0.1) | 0.002 |
| Concomitant medication | |||
| Oral antidiabetic drugs | 5150 (13.0) | 3428 (8.6) | 0.14 |
| Platelet aggregation inhibitors | 6712 (16.9) | 2807 (7.1) | 0.307 |
| Diuretic | 5212 (13.1) | 1951 (4.9) | 0.29 |
| Beta-blocking agents | 4058 (10.2) | 1063 (2.7) | 0.311 |
| Calcium antagonists | 10 559 (26.6) | 6183 (15.6) | 0.273 |
| Agents acting on the renin–angiotensin system | 9256 (23.3) | 5263 (13.3) | 0.263 |
| Lipid-regulating/antiatheroma preparations | 7339 (18.5) | 4555 (11.5) | 0.198 |
CVD, cardiovascular disease.