Because the reason to move was independent of the general health condition but depended on the location of the houses, it may not have introduced a major bias into the study. Second, the nonparticipants were not fully comparable to the study participants, so that the non-participation may have influenced the results of the study. Third, only two non-stereoscopic fundus photographs were used to detect diabetic changes in the retina in our study, while the ETDRS criteria use 7-field stereo images. This difference may have led to an underestimation in the incidence of DR in our study. In conclusion, the cumulative 10-year incidence of DR with a mean of 4.2% in the adult population of Greater Beijing was significantly associated with a higher HbA1c value, longer known duration of diabetes mellitus, higher estimated CSFP and shorter axial length. There were marginally significant associations with a higher serum concentration of creatinine and a lower educational level. Incidence of DR not significantly associated with hyperlipidemia or smoking. The association with shorter axial length and higher estimated CSFP may warrant further investigation. The prevention of sudden cardiac death is the most relevant challenge in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The presence of myocardial fibrosis, as evaluated by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with the late gadolinium enhancement technique, is associated with the occurrence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, as observed via 24-h Holter electrocardiography recording, and a worse clinical outcome. However, the vast majority of HCM patients show LGE, which may be considered a nonspecific marker of this disease. Myocardial hyperintensity upon CMR LY294002 T2-weighted short-tau inversion recovery imaging is a sign of edema that is secondary to acute ischemic or inflammatory damage and is present in a subset of patients with HCM, where it is likely caused by myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia seems to be associated with microvascular impairment in HCM, where it is considered a trigger for arrhythmic events and has been associated with worse prognoses. Although the relationship between HyT2 and NSVT was initially reported in patients with HCM, it has never been prospectively evaluated. Therefore, the aims of the current study were as follows: a) to assess the relationship between HyT2 and signs of ventricular electrical instability, autonomic impairment according to heart rate variability on 24 h-Holter ECG recordings, and the arrhythmic risk score and b) to compare HyT2 to other CMR parameters, such as the presence and extent of LGE, left ventricular mass index, and maximal LV end-diastolic wall thickness. Together, our findings led to the following conclusions: 1) HyT2 was associated with signs of advanced disease, i.e., higher LV mass index, lower ejection fraction and greater LGE extent; 2) HyT2 was associated with a higher arrhythmic risk score, markers of arrhythmic burden and autonomic impairment, as shown by 24-h ECG recordings; and 3) HyT2 was the best predictor of NSVT among all CMRderived and clinical parameters. These results suggest that the presence of myocardial edema, which was identified by HyT2 in HCM patients, is linked to disease progression and arrhythmogenesis. HyT2 was detected in 95% of patients with NSVT during the 24-h ECG recording. Indeed, NSVT detection is considered a relevant arrhythmic risk marker in patients with HCM as well as ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. The presence of HyT2 was also associated with decreased heart rate variability, which suggests a sympathovagal imbalance, with decreased vagal tone, net sympathetic predominance.