Chronic Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis

CNS Pain Mechanisms in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Implications for the Acute to Chronic Pain Transition

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05038553

Acronym

CPIRA-2

Enrollment

125

Registered

2021-09-09

Start date

2021-10-12

Completion date

2027-02-28

Last updated

2026-05-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Pain

Brief summary

The objective is to identify modifiable clinical factors and neurobiological pathways that lead to the development of chronic pain in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Participants will undergo quantitative sensory testing, a type of testing that involves assessing response to well-defined, quantifiable painful stimuli, at 0, 3, and 12 months. A subset of participants will also undergo magnetic resonance imaging at 0 and 12 months to assess neuroimaging markers that have previously been shown to be involved in chronic pain.

Interventions

OTHERNo intervention

No intervention

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

for QST: 1. Age ≥18 years 2. Meet either the 1987 or 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria for RA 3. Persistent joint symptoms ≤ 2 years 4. Active inflammatory disease 5. If taking opioids on an as needed (prn) basis, must be able to hold opioid for 12 hours before study procedures 6. If taking NSAIDs, must be able to hold NSAIDS for 24 hours before study procedures 7. If taking a central-acting pain medication, must be on a stable dose and able to stay on a stable dose throughout study

Exclusion criteria

for QST: 1. Routine, scheduled opioid use 2. Routine, scheduled prednisone dose \>10 mg or its equivalent 3. Peripheral neuropathy 4. Peripheral vascular disease 5. Raynaud's phenomenon requiring treatment, manifested by claudication or ischemic rest pain 6. Uncontrolled blood pressure Additional Inclusion Criteria for neuroimaging: 1. Age ≤ 80 years old 2. Right-handed or ambidextrous 3. Ability to lie on their back for the duration of the MRI scans Additional

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Fibromyalgia Survey Criteria	12 months	Minimum value 0, maximum value 31; higher scores indicate worse outcomes

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORYvonne C Lee, MD, MMSc

Northwestern University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 29, 2026