 The ADHOC Cohort comprised 3044 DM individuals, treated in 47 CHS primary care clinics, that underwent haptoglobin genotyping between 2 march, 2005 and 26 September 2006. Individuals were eligible for inclusion if they had DM and were 55 years of age or older. All treatment decisions, regarding all aspects of care and follow-up of the study participants, remained at the discretion of the individuals primary care physician, who was blinded to the individuals Hp type. Hp distribution was: Hp 1-1 285 9.4; Hp 2-1 1248 41.0; Hp 2-2 1511 49.6. 