Table 1.

Demographics for patients and controls (ie, healthy fellow military recruits)

	Age (years)	Gender (M/F)	BMI (kg/m2)	Tobacco habit (yes/no)	Alcohol use (yes/no)	Dietary additive (yes/no)	Preservice exercise level*	Conscription board; muscular strength†	Conscription board; aerobic capacity†
Patients, n=8	19.8±1.1	8/0	24.2±4.0	3/5	6/2	4/4	2.5±0.54	5.1±1.6	3.4±0.9
Controls, n=26	19.5±1.0	24/2	24.5±3.4	16/10	22/4	9/17	2.1±0.71	6.5±2.0	3.4±1.4
	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	p=0.05	n.s.

Age, BMI, preservice exercise level, muscular strength and aerobic capacity are given as arithmetic mean±SD.

*Questionnaire: three levels—1, no regular exercise; 2, regular exercise on an individual basis; 3, exercise organised by sports club with/without competitions.

†Assessed with a semiquantitative method at the conscription board examination; nine levels (1–9)—higher is better.¹⁴

BMI, body mass index.