Baseline characteristics of the population according to genotype.

The anthropometric parameters, the prevalence of past cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, transient ischemic attacs, by-passes at the inferior limbs, angioplasty, aorto-coronary by-passes) and biohumoral parameters are compared between patients carrying the –374 T/T,T/A and A/A genotypes of RAGE. Significance have been taken for p values <0.05, using a single way ANOVA: the post-hoc analysis showed a statistically significant difference between T/T and T/A subjects vs A/A subjects in terms of Interleukin 6 and Macrophages chemoattractant protein 1. No differences have been seen in terms of renal function, albuminuria, intermediate cardiovascular organ damage, inflammatory parameters or nutritional parameters between the three groups of subjects.