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Figure 2 Hazard ratio and 95 percent confidence interval (CI) of cardiovascular events associated with BNP concentrations above a chosen cut-off value of 100 pg/ml, the border of the upper quartile in this cohort being 100.35 pg/ml. Adjustment was performed in four consecutive models as outlined. The traditional risk factors (RFs) (models 2 to 4) comprised age, gender, a history of hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, body mass index, and high-density lipoprotein (the last two parameters entered the model as continuous variables). Presence of multivessel disease and therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and statins entered the Cox regression analysis as clinical variables (models 2 to 4). BNP = B-type natriuretic peptide; CRP = C-reactive protein; EF = angiographically determined left ventricular ejection fraction.
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