and strict blood pressure and glycemic control. For each patient, a thorough medical history was taken and the medical chart was reviewed at the time of study enrollment.
The definition of CVD included coronary artery disease, as documented by coronary angiography or a history of myocardial infarction, class III to IV congestive heart failure, or cerebrovascularaccident.
Allpatientswerefollowedupevery3 months until June 30, 2014.
The study protocol complies with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the institutional review board of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital.
All participants gave their written informed consent before inclusion.