Clinical and Immunogenetic Characterization of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

Recruiting

• Conditions: Polymyalgia Rheumatica; Giant Cell Arteritis

• Registration Number: NCT04102930
• Lead Sponsor: University of Leeds

Brief Summary

A multi-centre observational study recruiting prospective and retrospective cohorts of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). The primary aim is to find genetic determinants of GCA and PMR susceptibility, in order to yield novel insights into disease pathogenesis. A subset of the retrospective cohort is also enrolled in a post-marketing surveillance registry of patients eligible for, or receiving tocilizumab, to treat their relapsing or refractory GCA.

Detailed Description

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also known as temporal arteritis, is the most common form of primary systemic vasculitis, with up to 75,000 cases a year identified in the EU and US. It occurs almost exclusively in people over the age of 50 years and is considered to be a medical emergency. If not treated with high-dose glucocorticoids immediately, the thickening of the inflamed blood vessel wall can cause irreversible visual loss or stroke. GCA can lead to significant morbidity across a variety of systems, due to both the disease, and complications of treatment. Diagnosis may be confirmed with a temporal artery biopsy, imaging (e.g. USS/CT/MRA/PET-CR) or based on clinical signs (e.g. erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and symptoms (e.g. a new headache, jaw claudication, visual disturbances, temporal artery abnormality such as tenderness or decreased pulsation) .

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is characterised by inflammatory limb-girdle pain with early morning stiffness, and a systemic inflammatory response demonstrated by elevated inflammatory markers.

The UK GCA Consortium is a multi-centre observational study, the main arms of which recruit prospective (participants with suspected GCA) and retrospective cohorts (participants with confirmed GCA diagnosis). Analysis of data collected on these cohorts will help achieve the primary aim of finding genetic determinants of GCA and PMR susceptibility, in order to yield novel insights into disease pathogenesis. Secondary aims, and their associated analyses, are as follows:

* Phenotype: characterising GCA and PMR subtypes, based on clinical features; imaging; cells; subcellular fractions and molecules in the circulation and/or arterial tissue; genetic/epigenetic/transcriptomic/proteomic or metabolomics factors, including next generation sequencing (whole exome sequencing) of selected cases.

* Life impact: determining what aspects of the disease and treatments affect patients' quality of life, as assessed by patient-reported outcomes.

* Long-term outcomes: characterising prognosis of GCA and PMR - both effects of the disease and its treatment - by longitudinal follow-up through electronic linkage to health records.

* Exploratory analyses: exploring the potential role of environmental factors and co-morbidities on phenotype and outcomes.

* Diagnosis, prognosis: improving diagnosis of GCA and PMR, and identifying factors that predict diagnosis, such as diagnostic clinical features, and prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers.

* Disease activity: monitoring participants who commence a synthetic or biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (s/bDMARD). Finding a biomarker for GCA and PMR disease activity, which might be clinically useful in helping to optimise steroid and s/bDMARD treatments for individual patients.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2005-06-10
• Study First Submitted: 2019-07-30
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-09-24
• Study First Posted: 2019-09-25
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-25
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-30
• Primary Completion: 2028-03-31
• Study Completion: 2028-03-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 4500

Inclusion Criteria

• Willing to self-identify an ethnic group, such as Caucasian, Asian, Afro-Caribbean.
• Have a firm clinical diagnosis of GCA or PMR, or (for patients identified prospectively) GCA or PMR should be more likely than any alternative explanation for the patient's symptoms.
• Able and willing to give informed consent. Patients will be 50 years of age or over, unless both biopsy-proven and a clinically classical case of GCA.

Exclusion Criteria

• Patient unwilling or unable to give fully informed consent.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Primary outcome for genetic susceptibility studies:	At baseline	Diagnosis of GCA (or PMR), confirmed by a specialist (e.g. rheumatologist, ophthalmologist) with relevant expertise.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Phenotype	At baseline	Clinical phenotype or subtype of GCA/PMR based on disease features and imaging undertaken as part of routine clinical practice, and on research tests, such as imaging performed for research purposes, cells, subcellular fractions and molecules in the circulation and/or arterial tissue and genetic/ epigenetic/ transcriptomic/ proteomic or metabolomic factors, including next generation sequencing (whole exome sequencing) of selected cases.
Life impact questionnaires	At baseline	Assessment of the impact the disease and treatment has on the patients' lives as reported by the patient
Disease activity defined as an increase in clinical and patient reported activity of disease	At baseline	Participants commencing a synthetic or biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug with or without additional steroid therapy will have their disease activity assessed.
Long term outcomes	At baseline	Longitudinal follow-up of patients (as far as is possible from medical and electronic records and without requiring additional study visits) to define prognosis/disease outcomes, such as ischaemic manifestations, aneurysm formation, duration of steroid therapy, disease flares, complications related to steroid therapy.
Exploratory analyses	At baseline	To investigate role of genetics, environmental factors (e.g. diet and sunlight) and co-morbidities (e.g. periodontal disease) on disease phenotype and outcome as assessed by the patient-administered questionnaires.
Proteomic and genomic analyses on serum, plasma and urine samples.	At baseline	A variety of 'omic technologies will be applied to cell populations isolated from the blood and/or routine diagnostic arterial biopsies, including, but not limited to, RNASeq and a variety of proteomic approaches.
Diagnosis of GCA/PMR	Through study completion, an average of 1 year	Diagnosis in patients presenting with suspected GCA/PMR (prospective study).

Trial Locations

Locations (76)

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital; 🇬🇧 Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom

Whiston Hospital; 🇬🇧 Prescot, Merseyside, United Kingdom

Nevill Hall Hospital, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board; 🇬🇧 Abergavenny, United Kingdom

Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust; 🇬🇧 Aylesbury, United Kingdom

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board; 🇬🇧 Bangor, United Kingdom

Barnsley Hospital, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; 🇬🇧 Barnsley, United Kingdom

Basildon University Hospital, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; 🇬🇧 Basildon, United Kingdom

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; 🇬🇧 Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; 🇬🇧 Bath, United Kingdom

Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; 🇬🇧 Birmingham, United Kingdom

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