NPPB and dilated cardiomyopathy: We were unable to measure left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) among cases or controls in this study; since ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathies are often associated with elevated troponin and NT-proBNP levels, future studies on the association between NT-proBNP and microsize MIs ought to include this as a covariate in multivariable models.