Mortality follow-up and mortality endpoints

The individual follow-up was carried out by contacting the corresponding compulsory population registry of the municipality of the last known residence in order to assess the vital status on June 30, 2018. Death certificates were obtained from the local health authority of the place of death. The underlying causes of death were coded according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

The definition of mortality endpoints was adapted from [17]. The primary mortality endpoint is defined as all deaths certified as heart disease (cardiac infarction I21–I23; chronic ischemic heart disease I25.0–I25.9; acute ischemic heart disease I21.0–I24.9; congestive heart failure I50.0–I50.9; angina pectoris I20.0–I20.9; cardiac arrest I46; dysrhythmias, conduction disorder I44.0–I49.9; vitium cordis I34.0–I37.9). Additional analyses were carried out for all-cause mortality (A00-Y98).