| 1. | Advanced age |
| 2. | Male gender |
| 3. | Post-menopausal state |
| 4. | Cigarette smoking |
| 5. | Hypertension |
| 6. | Insulin resistance / diabetes mellitus |
| 7. | Intra-abdominal obesity |
| 8. | Dyslipdemia including: low level of high-density lipoprotein, high triglyceride levels and small dense low-density lipoprotein |