between the majority of common haplotypes in the CRP gene and risk of CHD in either the NHS or the HPFS. The remaining exception would be haplotype 4, and it is possible that CRP is an epiphenomenon of vascular inflammation and not directly involved in vascular pathobiology, or possibly protective. Alternatively, the CRP polymorphisms and haplotypes may be in LD with pro-atherogenic variants in nearby gene regions which would not be captured in this study.
