At baseline, dp-ucMGP and dp-cMGP correlated significantly with the inflammation marker IL-6 (r 0·321 and r 0·308, respectively; P < 0·05) and with markers of endothelial dysfunction von Willebrand factor (r 0·395 and r 0·393; P < 0·01) and VCAM (r 0·399 and r 0·653; P < 0·001). The gene discussed is IL6; the disease is endothelial dysfunction.