CRP and diabetes mellitus: Of the included 180 cases and 179 controls, the former were more commonly men (66.1% vs. 35.2%), with pre-existing hypertension (91.7% vs. 45.8%), were older (65 vs. 47 years), had higher blood pressure, NT-proBNP, creatinine, urea, and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, and lower triglycerides and LDL-C (Table 1), whereas prevalence of obesity (44.8%), current smoking (17.6%), and diabetes (17.6%) was comparable in cases and controls (Table 1).