CRP and rheumatoid arthritis: The length of the QTc is an independent cardiovascular risk factor.35, 36 Both moderate (QTc of 420–440 ms) and extensive QTc prolongation (>440 ms) are predictive of all-cause mortality in healthy middle-aged populations.37 In patients with RA, Panoulas et al11 showed that a 50 ms increase in the QTc interval was associated with a doubling of the risk of all-cause mortality, an association mediated by CRP levels.