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Evaluation of Plasma Vitamin C Levels in a Population of Chronic Rheumatism in Immuno-Rheumatology

Evaluation of Plasma Vitamin C Levels in a Population of Chronic Rheumatism in Immuno-Rheumatology

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05345899
Acronym
VitCRIC
Enrollment
107
Registered
2022-04-26
Start date
2022-06-08
Completion date
2025-12-08
Last updated
2026-06-16

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

Conditions

Lupus or SLE, Spondyloarthritis

Brief summary

Scurvy is an almost forgotten carential pathology, caused by a deep vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) deficiency, a priori exceptional in industrialized countries. According to the French National Authority for Health standards, hypovitaminosis C is defined as a plasma vitamin C level of less than 23 μmol/L. This deficiency would affect 5 to 10% of the general population in industrialized countries and from 17% (clinical scurvy) to 47% (biological hypovitaminosis C) of vulnerable populations (malnutrition, hospitalized patients...). Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis. It plays a cofactor role in the synthesis of catecholamines precursors and takes action in synthesis of certain amino acids. In rheumatology, pain is a recurring reason for consultation. In a context of treated chronic inflammatory rheumatism (RIC), while most of patients seem in remission or in reduced activity of their disease, all real-life studies show that 30 to 40% of them complain of residual pain, 70% of chronic fatigue and 20-25% of symptoms similar to secondary fibromyalgia. Currently, authors suggest the interest of vitamin C analgesic properties, especially in musculoskeletal pain, due to the role of ascorbic acid in neurotransmitters. Vitamin C would act as a cofactor for a family of biosynthetic and regulatory metalloenzymes. Thus, the authors suggest the potential of vitamin C in an analgesic mechanism involving the biosynthesis of opioid peptides.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTEvaluation of vitamin C level in plasma

A protocol-specific blood test wil assess the vitamin C level in plasma

Several questionnaire will be completed by patients to evaluate quality of life: Analog and visual scale (EVA) pain, Neuropathic pain (DN) 4 questionnaire, EVA fatigue, Short Form (SF) 12 questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD questionnaire)

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* patient over 18 years-old, * followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism (RIC): spondylo-arthritis (including spondylitis and psoriatic rheumatism) and lupus, * with RIC in remission or low activity definec according to the following criteria: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) criteria and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Fonctional Index (BASFI) questionnaire for spondylitis and psoriatic rheumatism, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) 2K score for lupus, * having given written consent after written and oral information, * member of the social security system, * basic treatment for the disease not modified for at least 6 months, without modification at baseline * persistence of painful complaints not objectively explained by his RIC.

Exclusion criteria

* pregnant or nursing patient, * patient protected by law or under guardianship or curatorship, or not able to participate in a clinical trial under L.1121-16 article of French Public Health Regulations, * patient participating in or having participated in another drug clinical trial in the month prior to inclusion.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Describe prevalence of hypovitaminose C (ascorbemia below 23 µmol/L) in a population of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusionAmong patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual pain and included in this study, the prevalence of hypovitaminosis C will be the proportion of patients with ascorbemia below 23 μmol/L measured at inclusion. Plasma ascorbemia will be measured using HPLC fluorimetric detection, using a Chromsystems kit.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Age of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusion
Sexe of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusion
Socio-professional category of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusion
Type of disease of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusion
Length of illness of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusion
Type of disease's treatment for patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusion
Pain felt by patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusionPain felt will be assessed with a visual and analog scale for pain which ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (maximum imaginable pain)
Tiredness felt by patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusionTiredness felt will be assessed with a visual and analog scale for tiredness which ranges from 0 (no tiredness) to 10 (extreme tiredness).
Neuropatic pain felt by patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusionNeuropatic pain felt will be assessed with the neuropatic pain 4 (DN4) questionnaire, which ranges from 0 to 10. A score greater than 4 indicates a positive test.
Quality of life of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusionQuality of life will be assessed with the Short Form 12 (SF12) questionnaire.
Anxiety and depression of patients followed for chronic inflammatory rheumatism in remission or lupus in low activity, with chronic residual painat inclusionAnxiety and depression will be assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, splited in 2 scores which ranges from 0 to 21. A score less than 7 indicates a lack of symtomatology, a score between 8 and 10 indicates doubtful symptomatology and a score higher than 11 indicates a sure symptomatology.

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 17, 2026