Fig. 1

Study design and flow chart of inclusion. A For the present study, the follow-up time was defined as the time between type 2 diabetes diagnosis and diagnosis of the corresponding vascular disease or date of the last examination by the physicians (up until August 2017). B Microvascular complications were defined as new-onset retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy or kidney replacement therapy following diabetes diagnosis. Macrovascular complications were defined as newly diagnosed myocardial infarction or stroke following diabetes diagnosis. EPIC, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition; CVD, cardiovascular disease; HF, heart failure