Baseline characteristics of the cohort
| Baseline characteristics | Male (n=1162) | Female (n=1434) | Total (n=2596) |
| Ethnicity n (%) | |||
| Sinhalese | 1118 (96.2) | 1375 (95.9) | 2493 (96.0) |
| Tamil | 15 (1.3) | 27 (1.9) | 42 (1.6) |
| Muslim | 2 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 4 (0.2) |
| Burgher | 15 (1.3) | 19 (1.3) | 34 (1.3) |
| Other | 12 (1.0) | 11 (0.8) | 23 (0.9) |
| Age groups (years), n (%) | |||
| 40–49.9 | 360 (30.9) | 456 (31.8) | 816 (31.4) |
| 50–59.9 | 526 (45.3) | 669 (46.7) | 1195 (46.0) |
| ≥60.0 | 276 (23.8) | 309 (21.5) | 585 (22.6) |
| Smoking, n (%) | 416 (35.8) | 0 (0.0) | 416 (16.0) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 165 (14.2) | 249 (17.4) | 414 (15.9) |
| Hyperlipidaemia, n (%) | 98 (8.4) | 209 (14.6) | 307 (11.8) |
| SBP (mm Hg), n (%) | |||
| <139.9 | 766 (65.9) | 869 (60.6) | 1635 (62.9) |
| 140–159.9 | 260 (22.4) | 365 (25.5) | 625 (24.1) |
| 160–179.9 | 88 (7.6) | 132 (9.2) | 220 (8.5) |
| ≥180.0 | 48 (4.1) | 68 (4.7) | 116 (4.5) |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L), n (%) | |||
| <4.0 | 211 (18.2) | 207 (14.4) | 418 (16.1) |
| 4–4.9 | 297 (25.6) | 269 (18.8) | 566 (21.8) |
| 5–5.9 | 391 (33.6) | 476 (33.2) | 867 (33.4) |
| 6–6.9 | 192 (16.5) | 322 (22.5) | 514 (19.8) |
| 7–7.9 | 66 (5.7) | 123 (8.6) | 189 (7.3) |
| ≥8.0 | 5 (0.4) | 37 (2.5) | 42 (1.6) |
| BMI≥23 kg/m2, n (%) | 590 (50.8) | 945 (65.9) | 1535 (59.1) |
| BMI≥30 kg/m2, n (%) | 47 (4.0) | 166 (11.6) | 213 (8.2) |
Over the 10-year follow-up period, 179 hard cardiovascular events were recorded: 66 (36.9%) in women and 113 (63.1%) in men.
BMI, body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure.