Hazardous alcohol consumption is associated with increased levels of B-type natriuretic peptide: evidence from two population-based studies

Table 1 Characteristics of IFS2 and PRIME study populations

	N^a			Median or %
	IFS2 (30–60 years)	IFS2 (50–60 years)^b	PRIME (50–60 years)	IFS2 (30–60 years)	IFS2 (50–60 years)^b	PRIME (50–60 years)
Age (years)	1,068	558	2,741	50	55	54
Waist–hip ratio	1,064	554	2,741	0.93	0.94	0.94
BMI (kg/m²)	1,060	551	2,741	25.9	25.8	26.0
Obese (≥30 kg/m²)	1,060	551	2,741	18 %	18 %	12 %
Hypertensive (%) (SBP ≥ 140 mmHg/DBP ≥ 90 mmHg)	1,061	553	2,738	59 %	69 %	40 %
Current smoker (%)	1,068	558	2,741	63 %	60 %	32 %
Units/week of beverage ethanol consumed	1,051	551	2,741	8.5	6.7	8.3
Units/week of beverage ethanol consumed (current drinkers)	915	474	2,101	11.1	10.1	15.9
Former drinkers	1,068	558	2,741	12.4 %	13.3 %	2.2 %
Life-long abstainers	1,068	558	2,741	0.8 %	0.5 %	21.1 %
BNP (pg/mL)	986	523	1,806	11.6	15.1	18.3
Total cholesterol (mmol/L)	981	504	2,733	5.32	5.37	5.85
HDL cholesterol (mmol/L)	981	504	2,733	1.34	1.34	1.16
LDL cholesterol (mmol/L)	963	494	2,679	3.20	3.23	3.89
Triglycerides (mmol/L)	963	494	2,734	1.28	1.29	1.50
Apolipoprotein A1 (g/L)	976	499	2,388	1.42	1.40	1.37
Apolipoprotein B (g/L)	977	500	2,389	0.88	0.90	1.14
Apolipoprotein B/Apolipoprotein A1 ratio	976	499	2,387	0.62	0.64	0.84
Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) (IU/L)	1,038	537	2,113	29.7	29.1	36.9
% Carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT)	1,012	517	–	1.00	1.00	–

^aFor IFS2 subjects are all men who had been interviewed themselves and had attended the medical examination. For both studies variation in numbers reflect missing information (including blood sample not available for analysis)
^bTo facilitate more direct comparison of characteristics of men in PRIME and IFS2, we have included this column that describes the subset of IFS2 men who were in the same age range as the total PRIME population i.e. 50–60 years