Distribution of traditional atherosclerotic risk factors in the different surveys.

<p>In total 5970 were included in the study in 1994/95, and of these, 5179 and 4391 were re-measured in the 2001–02 and 2007–08, respectively.</p

Study population.

<p>Study population recruited from The Tromsø Study, 1994–2010. Figure showing the common, “basic”, population in each analysis, and number of incident VTE and MI events (separate analyses for each outcome)</p

Age (as time scale)- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by traditional atherosclerotic risk factors using three different approaches; time-fixed model, time-varying model and correction for regression dilution through Rosners´s method.

<p>The Tromsø Study 1994–2010.</p

Intra-individual variability over time.

<p>Subjects were divided into quintiles at baseline in Tromsø 4 according to their baseline value of a certain risk factor. The mean value in each group is represented in the figure. Values were updated after approximately 7 and 13 years, in Tromsø 5 and Tromsø 6, respectively.</p

Age (as time scale)- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) by traditional atherosclerotic risk factors using three different approaches; time-fixed model, time-varying model and correction for regression dilution through Rosners´s method.

<p>The Tromsø Study 1994–2010.</p

Relation between risk factor clusters and differences in CIMT (Overall).

<p><b>Each cluster was compared to individuals without any risk factor (reference group).</b> CIMT, mean common carotid intima media thickness. BP, elevated blood pressure; OW, overweight; TC, elevated total cholesterol; smoking, current smoking.For most of the risk factors, the sum of the individual risk factor differences was smaller than the observed mean difference for the cluster in the overall analyses. For example, the mean difference in common CIMT for the blood pressure—smoking cluster was 0.077 mm, whereas the sum of the individual risk factors was 0.053 (i.e., 0.031 + 0.022). A similar finding was found for the smoking-blood pressure- overweight cluster. This observation suggests synergetic effects of risk factors on CIMT.</p

Relation between numbers of risk factors and differences in CIMT by race-ethnic group.

<p><b>Each number of risk factors was compared to individuals without any risk factor (reference group). CIMT, mean common carotid intima media thickness.</b><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0173393#pone.0173393.g003" target="_blank">Fig 3</a> presents the main findings of the overall analysis on risk factor clusters and CIMT. Within each risk factor cluster, there were graded relations with common CIMT. Within those with two risk factors, the cluster blood pressure-smoking had the highest CIMT (mean difference of 0.077 mm with those without risk factors) and the cluster with overweight- total cholesterol the least thickening (mean difference of 0.039 mm with those without risk factors), a difference reaching statistical significance with the cluster since the 95 confidence limits did not overlap. For people within the three risk factor cluster, elevated blood pressure, overweight and smoking had the highest common CIMT (0.084 mm). The pattern of the relationship between risk factor clusters and common CIMT were similar between sexes and race-ethnic groups, although some variation was observed between race-ethnic groups but was not significant due to limited minority samples sizes (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0173393#pone.0173393.s001" target="_blank">S1</a> and <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0173393#pone.0173393.s002" target="_blank">S2</a> Figs). The interaction terms were not statistically significant.</p

Baseline characteristics of USE-IMT cohorts in the present analysis.

<p>Baseline characteristics of USE-IMT cohorts in the present analysis.</p

Relation between numbers of risk factors and difference in CIMT (Overall and by sex).

<p>Each number of risk factors was compared to individuals without any risk factor (reference group). CIMT, mean common carotid intima media thickness.</p

Adjusted hazard ratio of death from cardiovascular causes (95% CI) by standardized 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in nmol/L in competing risk analysis for full database without the New Hoorn Study.

<p>Adjusted hazard ratio of death from cardiovascular causes (95% CI) by standardized 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in nmol/L in competing risk analysis for full database without the New Hoorn Study.</p