NPPB and Hypertension: Table 1 compared the characteristics of study population according to presence versus absence of MA, and levels of age, BMI, SBP, DBP, FBG, homocysteine and NT-proBNP and proportions of cigarette smoking, hypertension and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker treatment in participants with MA significantly exceeded those in participants without MA.