C-reactive protein (CRP) levels predict long-term adverse cardiovascular outcomes similarly well, or better, than cholesterol levels,219 and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are robustly associated with increased CVD risk.220 Systemic inflammation is also common in patients with atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD), with a large study in Sweden finding 60% of patients with ASCVD have a CRP of 2 mg/L or higher. Here, CRP is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.