CRP and peripheral arterial disease: The possible contribution to these outcomes of Groups 1, 2 and 3 (each of them in the form yes/no) was evaluated also taking into account the main indicators of stroke severity (NIHSS score and cerebral lesion diameter), acute phase markers (leukocytes, C-reactive protein and fever), cardiovascular events in past medical history (myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral artery disease and arterial revascularizations), plus age and sex, for a total of 14 independent variables.