After adjustment for conventional cardiovascular risk factors, one SD increase in the level of log GDF-15 were, in the respective total and non-CVD populations, associated with 48% (95%CI 26 to 73%, p<0.001) and 67% (95%CI 28 to 217%, p<0.001) incremental risk of cardiovascular mortality and 38% (95%CI 24 to 53%, p<0.001) and 47% (95%CI 25 to 73%, p<0.001) increases in CVD mortality and CHD or stroke morbidity and mortality after adjustment for conventional cardiovascular risk factors (Table 5). The gene discussed is GDF15; the disease is stroke disorder.