Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00037336
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: May 17, 2002
• Last Update Posted: March 17, 2014
• Sponsor: Vanderbilt University
• Collaborator: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): C. Michael Stein, Vanderbilt University

Tracking Information

• First Submitted Date: May 16, 2002
• First Posted Date: May 17, 2002
• Last Update Posted Date: March 17, 2014
• Study Start Date: September 2001
• Actual Primary Completion Date: July 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
• Current Primary Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Original Primary Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Current Secondary Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Original Secondary Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures: Not Provided

Descriptive Information

• Brief Title: Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Official Title: Not Provided
• Brief Summary: To test the theory that accelerated inflammation-promoted atherosclerosis occurs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

Premature cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The mechanisms underlying accelerated atherosclerosis and its relationship to inflammation in RA are poorly understood. Recent studies indicate that inflammation through the effects of inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress, through lipid peroxidation, are important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The study's hypothesis is that accelerated, inflammation-promoted atherosclerosis occurs in RA.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

The study tests the hypotheses: 1) that structural and functional vascular damage is more frequent and more severe in patients with established RA than matched controls and is related to cumulative disease severity; 2) that this impairment of vascular integrity is associated with clinical and laboratory markers of inflammation, plasma homocysteine concentrations, and oxidative stress. To address these two hypotheses the relationship between longstanding inflammation and vascular integrity will be determined in a cross-sectional study of 75 patients with established RA in whom prospectively obtained clinical data are available for 15 years, and 75 matched non-RA controls. Endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery measured by ultrasound, and coronary calcium volume measured by electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) will provide functional and structural measures of vascular integrity, respectively. F2-isoprostane excretion, a reliable index of lipid peroxidation in vivo, homocysteine and lipid concentrations will be measured. Vascular integrity, oxidative stress, lipids and homocysteine will be compared in controls and RA patients. In the RA patients the relationship between RA activity and damage indices obtained over 15 years and vascular function and damage measures will be determined. Using the same techniques we will address hypothesis 3) that the rate of progression of vascular disease in patients with early RA can be altered by control of inflammation. In a prospective cohort of 100 patients with early RA receiving usual clinical care and 100 matched non-RA controls followed over 24 months the relationship between clinical and biochemical measures of inflammation and vascular integrity will be determined by comparing "responders" and "non-responders". These studies will provide a basic understanding of the interrelationship between inflammation, lipids, oxidative stress and vascular damage, and will suggest strategies for reversing or preventing such damage in RA and, potentially, other diseases.

• Study Type: Observational
• Study Design: Not Provided
• Target Follow-Up Duration: Not Provided
• Biospecimen: Not Provided
• Sampling Method: Not Provided
• Study Population: people with rheumatoid arthritis

Condition

• Atherosclerosis
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Heart Diseases
• Inflammation
• Arthritis, Rheumatoid

• Intervention: Not Provided
• Study Groups/Cohorts: Not Provided

Publications *

• Sokka T, Pincus T. Eligibility of patients in routine care for major clinical trials of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha agents in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Feb;48(2):313-8. doi: 10.1002/art.10817.
• Sokka T, Pincus T. Contemporary disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) in patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis in a US private practice: methotrexate as the anchor drug in 90% and new DMARD in 30% of patients. J Rheumatol. 2002 Dec;29(12):2521-4.
• Sokka T, Pincus T. Most patients receiving routine care for rheumatoid arthritis in 2001 did not meet inclusion criteria for most recent clinical trials or american college of rheumatology criteria for remission. J Rheumatol. 2003 Jun;30(6):1138-46.
• Olsen NJ, Stein CM. New drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. N Engl J Med. 2004 May 20;350(21):2167-79. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra032906. No abstract available.
• Pincus T, Yazici Y, Sokka T, Aletaha D, Smolen JS. Methotrexate as the "anchor drug" for the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2003 Sep-Oct;21(5 Suppl 31):S179-85.
• Sokka T, Willoughby J, Yazici Y, Pincus T. Databases of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis in the USA. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2003 Sep-Oct;21(5 Suppl 31):S146-53.
• Pincus T, Sokka T. Uniform databases in early arthritis: specific measures to complement classification criteria and indices of clinical change. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2003 Sep-Oct;21(5 Suppl 31):S79-88.
• Olsen N, Sokka T, Seehorn CL, Kraft B, Maas K, Moore J, Aune TM. A gene expression signature for recent onset rheumatoid arthritis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Ann Rheum Dis. 2004 Nov;63(11):1387-92. doi: 10.1136/ard.2003.017194.
• Pincus T, Sokka T, Kautiainen H. Patients seen for standard rheumatoid arthritis care have significantly better articular, radiographic, laboratory, and functional status in 2000 than in 1985. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Apr;52(4):1009-19. doi: 10.1002/art.20941.
• Yazici Y, Sokka T, Kautiainen H, Swearingen C, Kulman I, Pincus T. Long term safety of methotrexate in routine clinical care: discontinuation is unusual and rarely the result of laboratory abnormalities. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Feb;64(2):207-11. doi: 10.1136/ard.2004.023408. Epub 2004 Jun 18.
• Sokka T, Pincus T. An Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Evaluation Registry (ERATER) in the United States. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2005 Sep-Oct;23(5 Suppl 39):S178-81.
• Chung CP, Oeser A, Raggi P, Gebretsadik T, Shintani AK, Sokka T, Pincus T, Avalos I, Stein CM. Increased coronary-artery atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: relationship to disease duration and cardiovascular risk factors. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Oct;52(10):3045-53. doi: 10.1002/art.21288.
• Asanuma Y, Xie HG, Stein CM. Pharmacogenetics and rheumatology: Molecular mechanisms contributing to variability in drug response. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 May;52(5):1349-59. doi: 10.1002/art.21027. No abstract available.

Recruitment Information

• Recruitment Status: Completed
• Enrollment: Not Provided
• Original Enrollment: Not Provided
• Actual Study Completion Date: July 2007
• Actual Primary Completion Date: July 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
• Eligibility Criteria: must meet ACR criteria for RA

Sex/Gender

• Sexes Eligible for Study: All

• Ages: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Contacts: Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
• Listed Location Countries: Not Provided

Administrative Information

• NCT Number: NCT00037336
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1163; R01HL067964 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
• Has Data Monitoring Committee: Not Provided
• U.S. FDA-regulated Product: Not Provided
• IPD Sharing Statement: Not Provided
• Current Responsible Party: C. Michael Stein, Vanderbilt University
• Original Responsible Party: Not Provided
• Current Study Sponsor: Vanderbilt University
• Original Study Sponsor: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Charles Stein; Vanderbilt University

• PRS Account: Vanderbilt University
• Verification Date: March 2014