In addition to recognised demographic (increasing age and Aboriginal racial background), conventional (ex-/current smoking, central obesity, increased heart rate, HbA1c, PAD, DSPN and an increased CCI), and novel (serum NT-proBNP and serum hyaluronic acid) risk factors, serum HDL-cholesterol quintiles showed a U-shaped relationship with this outcome. This evidence concerns the gene NPPB and Abdominal obesity.