Clinical trial NCT02709694: Imaging Biomarkers in Crohn's Associated Spondyloarthritis
Official title: Imaging Biomarkers in Crohn's Associated Spondyloarthritis
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Crohn's Disease
Spondyloarthritis
Lead sponsor: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
First posted: 2016-03-16
Enrollment: 33
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Patients will biopsy proven Crohn's disease will be enrolled for the study. 50% (15 patients) will have symptoms of inflammatory back pain and 50% will not.

Brief summary: In patients with Crohn's Disease, symptoms of inflammatory back pain (IBP) precede changes on plain X-rays by years, and MRI changes of axial inflammation precede development of X-ray changes. Sacroiliitis on MRI without x-ray changes (i.e.Non radiographic SpA) is a valid diagnostic criterion for Spondyloarthritis (SpA) and leads to earlier diagnosis of SpA in patients with IBP. It is unclear when MRI changes occur, and if they precede clinical symptoms of IBP. There are reports of asymptomatic sacroiliitis noted on MRI in Crohn's patients. This is important, as MRI evidence of inflammation may be the first sign of incipient SpA. Inflammation in other regions of the axial skeleton in SpA patients has also been documented, but its significance is unknown. The prospect of undiagnosed and untreated inflammation is concerning, as it can lead to significant morbidity. Moreover, relationship between MRI evidence of axial inflammation-likely a proxy for systemic inflammation- and patient reported outcomes (e.g. ASDAS-CRP= Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score- C reactive protein, BASDAI= Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, SF-12 = Short Form- 12, HBI= Hervey Bradshaw Index and PROMIS-29= Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System-29), has not been reported. Recent unpublished data from Dr. Longman's lab (collaborator) suggest a distinct intestinal dysbiosis in Crohn's associated SpA. But relationship between this microbiome and MRI changes is yet to be determined.

Identifying inflammation earlier on MRI- in the absence of clinical symptoms will provide an opportunity to intervene early with available therapies, such as- biologics etc. Asymptomatic MRI changes could be a marker of underlying systemic inflammation- which is a risk factor for poor outcomes in Crohn's associated SpA. Studying association between whole spine MRI changes with patient reported outcomes) may facilitate informed clinical decision making to initiate targeted therapy to prevent progression of structural damage. Understanding microbial dysregulation in this population, and correlation with MRI changes, could lead to development of therapy targeted to restore intestinal symbiosis.

Detailed description: IMAGING AND CROHN'S ASSOCIATED SpA: Crohn's disease (CD) is the most common type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It affects an estimated 0.7 million patients in United States and is responsible for 0.2 million hospitalizations each year.1 Although the gastrointestinal tract is the primary site of inflammation, inflammatory arthritis (both peripheral and axial) can affect between 12.8-23% of patients with Crohn's Disease2,3, and axial SpA alone has been reported to effect 6.7% to 18% of Crohn's patients.4 However, in 2 recent studies5,6, radiological sacroiliitis was reported to be present in 27% and 52% in IBD patients. MRI changes of inflammation precede radiological sacroiliitis by years but it is not clear when this occurs. Presence of damage on x-ray in asymptomatic patients may suggest that Crohn's associated axial SpA could be underdiagnosed. Since Crohn's associated SpA often affects younger patients, undertreatment or missed diagnoses could have a significant impact on health related quality of life (HR-QoL) and disability during prime wage earning and child rearing years.7

"Non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis" is a term used to describe patients with symptomatic SpA who do not have findings on plain x-rays. These patients can have identical symptoms to those with radiographic evidence of cartilage loss and erosions, and anti-TNF (anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor) therapy has been shown to be effective in those with non-radiographic SpA.8 These patients are a clinically relevant subgroup, as 20% of patients with only MRI evidence of sacroiliitis will progress to non-reversible radiographic SpA over two years.9 Therefore, MRI evidence of sacroiliitis, in conjunction with inflammatory back pain is now sufficient to diagnosis SpA. In fact, MRI imaging is a standard component of current SpA diagnostic criteria, (ASAS: Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society),10 and MRI changes of sacroiliitis are routinely used to identify SpA patients for clinical trials.11

However, despite these new definitions there is a deficiency of published research evaluating the clinical significance of MRI findings in patients with Crohn's disease. Of all the SpA-associated diseases, Crohn's-associated SpA has a particularly high burden of extra-articular inflammation. Studies suggest only half to two thirds of patients with CT or MRI evidence of inflammation have symptoms of inflammatory back pain.1,12 This suggests that in Crohn's disease, MRI imaging biomarkers may be identifying early disease, analogous to the way that ultrasound can identify subclinical rheumatoid arthritis.13 We therefore hypothesize that in a mixed cohort of Crohn's patients with and without inflammatory back pain, MRI imaging biomarkers will correlate with measures of health status which reflect systemic inflammatory burden, (i.e. BASDAI, SF-12) independent of symptoms of inflammatory back pain.

MRI IMAGING BIOMARKERS: A POTENTIAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTOR? The observed discordance between axial inflammation seen on MRI and inflammatory back pain raises a particularly intriguing clinical question: could Crohn's patients with imaging evidence of axial inflammation but without axial symptoms potentially benefit from therapy?

It is very well established that in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, systemic inflammation is associated with myocardial infarction, stroke and death, and that treating inflammation improves cardiovascular outcomes.14,15.

Recent population based study from Europe and Canada showed increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis.16,17 Despite clear evidence that cardiovascular risk is increased in SpA, how to quantify the increased risk is not straightforward. There is no consistently reliable marker of systemic inflammation in these patients; sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) may not always reflect ongoing inflammation, especially in patients with non-radiographic axial SpA9. Therefore, accurately measuring the inflammatory burden in Crohn's patients, regardless of musculoskeletal symptoms, is an important area for future research. Initiation of earlier targeted therapy to decrease inflammation may not only prevent incident Crohn's associated SpA, progression of prevalent SpA, with concurrent improvements in HRQoL, but may also improve cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

In addition, although sacroiliitis is the primary axial feature in SpA, there is increasing evidence that there can also be spinal involvement even in the absence of SI joint inflammation. Recent studies suggest that spinal inflammation can occur in up to one-third of nonradiographic SpA patients with \<5 years of disease duration.18 This could be an important early imaging inflammatory biomarker. To our knowledge there are no published studies evaluating spinal and SI joint MRI imaging biomarkers in Crohn's associated SpA.

THE MICROBIOME: A CORRELATE OF INFLAMMATION IN CROHN'S DISEASE? The etiopathogenesis of Crohn's Disease-associated SpA remains a puzzle. As with other autoimmune diseases, interplay between genetic factors such as HLA B27 (Human Leukocyte Antigen- B27) and environmental factors likely play a role. The joint symptoms of SpA are not consistently correlated with bowel disease flares.19 Intestinal microbiota plays a critical role in evolution of our entire immune system, since axenic laboratory animals (germfree animals raised in sterile environment) were noted to have partial restoration of T cell population when these animals are colonized with filamentous bacteria. A symbiotic relationship between the main bacterial phyla is necessary for proper functioning of immune system, since notable alterations in the intestinal microbiome (i.e. dysbiosis) have been suggested in various autoimmune diseases. Reduction in taxa-diversity (such as, enterobacteriaceae, Bacteroidales and Clostridiales) and expansion of certain phyla in the intestine have been recently reported in a large cohort of new onset treatment-naïve Crohn's disease (CD) patients.20 In addition, Dr. Longman's lab has shown that the expansion of immunologically relevant Enterobacteriaceae correlates with Crohn's related SpA among a mixed group of patients with Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, (in press). However, while these are exciting data, SpA cases were identified using a non-validated clinical diagnosis, without systematic rheumatology evaluation and no imaging studies. This will be first study evaluating the microbiome in a carefully phenotyped cohort of Crohn's associated SpA, who will also have detailed MRI imaging.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with biopsy proven Crohn's Disease
2. 50% patients with inflammatory back pain and 50% without inflammatory back pain.
3. Age 18 years and above
4. English Speaking patients only

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of psoriasis, other inflammatory arthritis
2. No exposure to biologic agent within the past six months (except Vedolizumab, which exerts its effect locally)

2. Contraindication to MRI

3. History of malignancy \<5 years in remission, (except for non-melanomatous skin cancer).

4. Non English speaking

5. Unable to comply with study protocol.

6. Critically or terminally ill patients

7. Pregnancy

Primary outcomes:
measure: Number of Participants With MRI Positivity- Global Assessment Positive
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With MRI Positivity- ASAS Positive
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With MRI Positivity- SPACE Positive
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With MRI Positivity- Morpho Positive
timeFrame: one study visit
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Number of Participants With Axial Spondyloarthritis Based on European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) Guidelines
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With Current Peripheral Arthritis
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With a History of Peripheral Arthritis
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index C-reactive Protein (ASDAS-CRP)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: CRP (C-reactive Protein)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Duration of Crohn's Disease for Participants
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants Using Vedolizumab for Crohn's Disease
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With a Past History of Biologic Use for Crohn's Disease
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants Who Have Had Surgery Related to Crohn's Disease
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Crohn's Disease Activity (Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) Score)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With Inflammatory Back Pain
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With Current Enthesitis
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With a History of Uveitis
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With a History of Dactylitis
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With HLA-B27 (Human Leukocyte Antigen B-27)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index C-reactive Protein (ASDAS-CRP)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Duration of Crohn's Disease
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With a Prior History of Biologic Use for Crohn's Disease
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 2
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 4
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 5
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 6
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 9
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 10
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 13
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 12-23
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 17A
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 17F
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 21
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interleukin 22
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Interferon-γ
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: TNF-α (Tumor Necrosis Factor)
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Mean Number of Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions for Each Participant
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Median Number of Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions for Each Participant
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥1 Quadrant Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥2 Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥3 Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥4 Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥6 Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥5 Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
measure: Number of Participants With ≥7 Quadrants Affected by BME or Structural Lesions
timeFrame: one study visit
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Hospital for Special Surgery
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
name: Lisa Mandl, MD MPH
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Lichtenstein GR, Yan S, Bala M, Blank M, Sands BE. Infliximab maintenance treatment reduces hospitalizations, surgeries, and procedures in fistulizing Crohn's disease. Gastroenterology. 2005 Apr;128(4):862-9. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2005.01.048.
citation: Bernstein CN, Blanchard JF, Rawsthorne P, Yu N. The prevalence of extraintestinal diseases in inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2001 Apr;96(4):1116-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2001.03756.x.
citation: Dekker-Saeys BJ, Meuwissen SG, Van Den Berg-Loonen EM, De Haas WH, Agenant D, Tytgat GN. Ankylosing spondylitis and inflammatory bowel disease. II. Prevalence of peripheral arthritis, sacroiliitis, and ankylosing spondylitis in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. Ann Rheum Dis. 1978 Feb;37(1):33-5. doi: 10.1136/ard.37.1.33.
citation: Shivashankar R, Loftus EV Jr, Tremaine WJ, Bongartz T, Harmsen WS, Zinsmeister AR, Matteson EL. Incidence of spondyloarthropathy in patients with Crohn's disease: a population-based study. J Rheumatol. 2012 Nov;39(11):2148-52. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.120321. Epub 2012 Sep 15.
citation: Bandinelli F, Terenzi R, Giovannini L, Milla M, Genise S, Bagnoli S, Biagini S, Annese V, Matucci-Cerinic M. Occult radiological sacroiliac abnormalities in patients with inflammatory bowel disease who do not present signs or symptoms of axial spondylitis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2014 Nov-Dec;32(6):949-52. Epub 2014 Aug 15.
citation: Subramaniam K, Tymms K, Shadbolt B, Pavli P. Spondyloarthropathy in inflammatory bowel disease patients on TNF inhibitors. Intern Med J. 2015 Nov;45(11):1154-60. doi: 10.1111/imj.12891.
citation: Boonen A, Sieper J, van der Heijde D, Dougados M, Bukowski JF, Valluri S, Vlahos B, Kotak S. The burden of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2015 Apr;44(5):556-562. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2014.10.009. Epub 2014 Oct 22.
citation: Sieper J, van der Heijde D, Dougados M, Mease PJ, Maksymowych WP, Brown MA, Arora V, Pangan AL. Efficacy and safety of adalimumab in patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis: results of a randomised placebo-controlled trial (ABILITY-1). Ann Rheum Dis. 2013 Jun;72(6):815-22. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-201766. Epub 2012 Jul 7.
citation: Sieper J, van der Heijde D. Review: Nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis: new definition of an old disease? Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Mar;65(3):543-51. doi: 10.1002/art.37803. No abstract available.
citation: Sieper J, Rudwaleit M, Baraliakos X, Brandt J, Braun J, Burgos-Vargas R, Dougados M, Hermann KG, Landewe R, Maksymowych W, van der Heijde D. The Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) handbook: a guide to assess spondyloarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009 Jun;68 Suppl 2:ii1-44. doi: 10.1136/ard.2008.104018.
citation: Sieper J, van der Heijde D, Landewe R, Brandt J, Burgos-Vagas R, Collantes-Estevez E, Dijkmans B, Dougados M, Khan MA, Leirisalo-Repo M, van der Linden S, Maksymowych WP, Mielants H, Olivieri I, Rudwaleit M. New criteria for inflammatory back pain in patients with chronic back pain: a real patient exercise by experts from the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS). Ann Rheum Dis. 2009 Jun;68(6):784-8. doi: 10.1136/ard.2008.101501. Epub 2009 Jan 15.
citation: Steer S, Jones H, Hibbert J, Kondeatis E, Vaughan R, Sanderson J, Gibson T. Low back pain, sacroiliitis, and the relationship with HLA-B27 in Crohn's disease. J Rheumatol. 2003 Mar;30(3):518-22.
citation: van Steenbergen HW, Huizinga TW, van der Helm-van Mil AH. The preclinical phase of rheumatoid arthritis: what is acknowledged and what needs to be assessed? Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Sep;65(9):2219-32. doi: 10.1002/art.38013. No abstract available.
citation: Solomon DH, Reed GW, Kremer JM, Curtis JR, Farkouh ME, Harrold LR, Hochberg MC, Tsao P, Greenberg JD. Disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of cardiovascular events. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015 Jun;67(6):1449-55. doi: 10.1002/art.39098.
citation: Roubille C, Richer V, Starnino T, McCourt C, McFarlane A, Fleming P, Siu S, Kraft J, Lynde C, Pope J, Gulliver W, Keeling S, Dutz J, Bessette L, Bissonnette R, Haraoui B. The effects of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors, methotrexate, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids on cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Mar;74(3):480-9. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206624. Epub 2015 Jan 5.
citation: Exarchou S, Lie E, Lindstrom U, Askling J, Forsblad-d'Elia H, Turesson C, Kristensen LE, Jacobsson LT. Mortality in ankylosing spondylitis: results from a nationwide population-based study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Aug;75(8):1466-72. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-207688. Epub 2015 Sep 2.
citation: Haroon NN, Paterson JM, Li P, Inman RD, Haroon N. Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis Have Increased Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Mortality: A Population-Based Study. Ann Intern Med. 2015 Sep 15;163(6):409-16. doi: 10.7326/M14-2470.
citation: van der Heijde D, Sieper J, Maksymowych WP, Brown MA, Lambert RG, Rathmann SS, Pangan AL. Spinal inflammation in the absence of sacroiliac joint inflammation on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with active nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014 Mar;66(3):667-73. doi: 10.1002/art.38283.
citation: Manasson J, Scher JU. Spondyloarthritis and the microbiome: new insights from an ancient hypothesis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2015 Feb;17(2):10. doi: 10.1007/s11926-014-0487-7.
citation: Gevers D, Kugathasan S, Denson LA, Vazquez-Baeza Y, Van Treuren W, Ren B, Schwager E, Knights D, Song SJ, Yassour M, Morgan XC, Kostic AD, Luo C, Gonzalez A, McDonald D, Haberman Y, Walters T, Baker S, Rosh J, Stephens M, Heyman M, Markowitz J, Baldassano R, Griffiths A, Sylvester F, Mack D, Kim S, Crandall W, Hyams J, Huttenhower C, Knight R, Xavier RJ. The treatment-naive microbiome in new-onset Crohn's disease. Cell Host Microbe. 2014 Mar 12;15(3):382-392. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2014.02.005.