Among 418 patients, 10 patients who had a CRP concentration either below 0.02 mg/dl (N = 9) or above 10 mg/dl (N = 1) were excluded in our analysis, because 0.02 mg/dl is the lower limit of detection, and CRP levels higher than 10 mg/dl are often suggestive of an underlying an infection, an inflammatory disease, or cancer45. This evidence concerns the gene CRP and infection.