When adjusted for likely confounders, including gender, age, CRP, albumin globulin ratio, hypertension and dyspnea, similar association between CLC level and risk of initial GI involvement remained for 2nd teritile (OR = 0.25 [95% CI: 0.07, 0.98]; p = 0.047) and 3rd tertile (OR = 0.17 [95% CI: 0.05, 0.63]; p = 0.008) when compared to the 1st tertile. This evidence concerns the gene ALB and Hypertension.