Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population.
| Intervention | Control | |
|---|---|---|
| N (%) | 944 (49.9) | 946 (50.1) |
| Women | 346 (36.7) | 343 (36.3) |
| Age, years | 70.6 (62.6–79.0) | 71.4 (63.7–78.5) |
| Low education level* | 451 (47.9) | 496 (52.6) |
| BMI† | 26.6 (24.0–29.6) | 26.5 (23.9–29.5) |
| eGFR, ml/min‡ | 81.1 (66.6–92.2) | 82.0 (65.5–91.7) |
| Systolic BP, mmHg§ | 140.0 (123.0–152.0) | 138.0 (121.0–151.0) |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg** | 79.0 (70.0–85.0) | 78.0 (70.0–85.0) |
| LDL-C, mmol/l†† | 3.2 (2.4–3.9) | 3.1 (2.4–3.8) |
| mRS > 2‡‡ | 68 (7.2) | 69 (7.3) |
| Current/former smoker§§ | 540 (57.3) | 538 (56.9) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 155 (16.4) | 144 (15.2) |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 152 (16.1) | 174 (18.4) |
| Peripheral artery disease | 23 (2.4) | 22 (2.3) |
| Diabetes | 168 (17.8) | 182 (19.2) |
| CKD (GFR < 60 ml/min)*** | 159 (17.0) | 183 (19.4) |
| Congestive heart failure | 39 (4.1) | 34 (3.6) |
| Hypertension | 538 (57.0) | 550 (58.1) |
| Previous stroke | 86 (9.1) | 84 (8.9) |
| Previous TIA | 37 (3.9) | 32 (3.4) |
| Antihypertensive treatment | 829 (87.8) | 829 (87.6) |
| 1 drug | 198 (21.0) | 216 (22.8) |
| 2 drugs | 347 (36.8) | 330 (34.9) |
| ≥ 3 drugs | 284 (30.1) | 283 (29.9) |
| Lipid-lowering agent | 796 (84.3) | 804 (85.0) |
| Antiplatelet drug | 835 (88.5) | 843 (89.1) |
| Warfarin | 115 (12.2) | 97 (10.3) |
Data are given as N (%) or median (interquartile range). No significant differences were present except a higher proportion of participants with low education in the control group (p = 0.040). Low education level was defined as no more than 10 years of formal education. Drug treatment variables refer to treatment at discharge. BMI, body mass index; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; BP, blood pressure; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CKD, chronic kidney dysfunction; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
*Missing values for 3 control group participants and 2 intervention group participants.
†Missing values for 2 control group participants and 1 intervention group participant.
‡Missing values for 3 control group participants and 9 intervention group participants.
§Missing values for 11 control group participants and 18 intervention group participants.
**Missing values for 4 control group participants and 3 intervention group participants.
††Missing values for 34 control group participants and 39 intervention group participants.
‡‡Missing values for 4 control group participants and 2 intervention group participants.
§§Missing value for 1 intervention group participant.
***Missing values for 3 control group participants and 9 intervention group participants.