Baseline characteristics of study participants.

*Smoking status was classified as “never smokers”, “ex-smokers”, “current smokers with less than 10 cigarettes daily”, and “current smokers with more than 10 cigarettes daily” and are coded as ordinal variables. **Alcohol use was classified as “less than 2–3 times annually”, “2–3 times monthly” “2–3times weekly”, and “more than 3 times weekly” using questionnaires and are coded as ordinal variables. SI-QTc, smoothness index of QTc; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; ACR, albumin-creatinine ratio; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; ARB: angiogtensin II receptor blocker; ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme Baseline characteristics of study participants.