Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of included participants
| Variable | Mean (SD)* |
|---|---|
| Number of individuals in the study | 8452 |
| Age, in years | 64.6 (9.7) |
| Female, n (%) | 4899 (58.0) |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.5 (4.05) |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L | 5.76 (1.01) |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.43 (0.41) |
| Smoking, n (%) | |
| Current | 1742 (20.6) |
| Former | 4020 (47.6) |
| Never | 2691 (31.8) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 139 (21) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 79 (11) |
| Antihypertensive medication use, n (%) | 1881 (22.3) |
| TSH, median (IQR) | 1.91 (1.29–2.76) |
| FT4, pmol/L | 15.7 (2.32) |
| TPOAb positivity, n (%) | 1119 (13.2) |
| Levothyroxine use, n (%) | 233 (2.8) |
*unless specified otherwise
TPOAb levels > 35 kU/mL were regarded as positive
BMI body mass index, IQR interquartile range, FT4 free thyroxine, SD standard deviation, TPOAb thyroid peroxidase antibodies, TSH thyroid-stimulating hormone, n number