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NCT Number: NCT05542316

Validation of the PMR Activity Score and Evolution of Patient-reported Outcomes in Patients With Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a systemic inflammatory disease that affects elderly people. It is characterized by pain and morning stiffness in the shoulders, pelvic girdles and neck. Glucocorticoids are the mainstay of the treatment. In clinical practice, the disease activity of PMR and corresponding treatment changes are based on the presence of symptoms and inflammatory markers. The interpretation of these abnormalities can be surprisingly difficult, especially when they are not consistent. In 2004, Leeb and Bird developed a composite score for measurement of disease activity in PMR, called the polymyalgia rheumatica activity score. It consists of 5 domains: morning stiffness time, ability to elevate the upper limbs, physician's global assessment, pain and CRP level. However, high-quality evidence on the measurement properties is lacking and there is still no consensus on the optimal cut off point.

Based on a Delphi study with physicians and patients OMERACT defines laboratory markers of systemic inflammation, pain, stiffness and physical function as the four inner core of domains considered mandatory for clinical trials of PMR, most frequently measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and/or C-reactive protein (CRP), visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, morning stiffness time and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) respectively. Patient's global fatigue was strongly recommended to measure in PMR as well. Recently, a PMR-specific patient-reported outcome measure was developed, called the PMR impact scale. However, outcome measures in PMR studies lack consistency and there is no high-quality evidence on the measurement properties. In addition, the evolution of these patient reported outcomes is not known.

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Key information

Conditions

Polymyalgia Rheumatica Connective Tissue Diseases Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

50 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University Hospitals Leuven

Leuven, Belgium

About this study

The primary objective of this prospective observational trial is to validate the PMR-activity score and to determine the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease. The secondary objective is to assess the evolution of the patient reported outcomes during the disease course and their relation with disease activity.

The investigators intend to perform a 12-month, observational prospective trial in patients with recently diagnosed PMR. Patients will be followed and treated as standard of care. Follow-up visits will be planned at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks. As in standard of care, additional visits can be planned if necessary, e.g. in case of symptoms suggestive of relapse. Each visit ESR, CRP, morning stiffness time, ability to elevate the upper limbs, physician's global assessment and VAS for pain as components of the PMR-activity score and VAS for global health, pain, stiffness and fatigue, HAQ-DI, Short Form Health survey (SF36) and PMR impact scale as patient-reported outcomes will be collected.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of PMR based on the judgment of an experienced clinician (affiliated with the general internal medicine or rheumatology department), taking into account all available information (clinical symptoms, biochemical, radiological, and PET results)
  • Able to give informed consent
  • Understanding and able to write Dutch, English or French

Exclusion criteria

  • Concomitant diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (new diagnosis or being treated for giant cell arteritis)
  • Concurrent rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory arthritis or other connective tissue disease
  • Patients on glucocorticoids or other immunosuppressive drugs for another indication

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the PMR-activity score and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of morning stiffness time and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  2. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of ability to elevate the upper limbs and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  3. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of physician's global assessment using a visual analogue scale and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  4. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of patient's assessment of pain using a visual analogue scale and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  5. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of C-reactive protein and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  6. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the change in the PMR-activity score between two visits and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  7. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the change in morning stiffness between two visits and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  8. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the change in ability to elevate the upper limbs between two visits and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  9. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the change in physician's global assessment using a visual analogue scale between two visits and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  10. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the change in patient's assessment of pain using a visual analogue scale between two visits and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  11. Determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the change in C-reactive protein between two visits and the optimal cut-off point to discriminate between disease remission and active disease

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  12. Evolution of Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  13. Evolution of the ability to elevate the upper limbs over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  14. Evolution of the patient's assessment of pain using a visual analogue scale over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  15. Evolution of the patient's assessment of global health using a visual analogue scale over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  16. Evolution of the patient's assessment of fatigue using a visual analogue scale over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  17. Evolution of the patient's assessment of stiffness using a visual analogue scale over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  18. Evolution of morning stiffness time over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  19. Evolution of 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF36) over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

  20. Evolution of the PMR impact scale over the disease course and the relation with disease activity

    Time frame: 52 weeks

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Validation of the Polymyalgia Rheumatica Activity Score for Determination of Disease Activity

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Sep 15, 2022
Registry last updated
Mar 30, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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