After the additional adjustment for FEV1 loss (p < 0.01), ln (CRP) and smoking status at the time of referral were no longer associated (p = 0.63), whereas the effects of BMI (p = 0.02), the presence of active malignant disease (p < 0.01), and the presence of heart disease (p = 0.04) on ln (CRP) persisted. This evidence concerns the gene CRP and heart disorder.