Screen for risk factors: obesity especially increased abdominal adiposity, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, subclinical vascular disease, impaired glucose tolerance, family history of premature cardiovascular disease, physical inactivity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, high levels of CRP and homocysteine. The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is type 2 diabetes mellitus.