Subclinical intestinal inflammation and gut dysbiosis have been reported in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). In common practice, rheumatologists are increasingly confronted with patients with inflammatory rheumatism who are on gluten-free diets (GFDs), despite the lack of reliable data from controlled studies. This study aims to determine the impact of a GFD on the quality of life of patients with axial SpA.
The GlutenSpA study is a 24-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Patients with axial SpA (n=200) will follow a 16-week GFD and be randomly assigned (1:1) to an experimental or control arm. In the experimental arm with receive at least 6 gluten-free breads per day + 200 g of gluten-free penne pasta per week + 6 rice flavor capsules per day. The control arm will receive at least 6 gluten-containing breads per day + 200 g of gluten-containing penne pasta per week + 6 vital gluten-containing capsules per day. At baseline, the dietician will explain to the patients how to properly follow a GFD during a face-to-face interview. The patient's compliance to the GFD will be evaluated by the dietician at S2, S16, an S24 using an online 3-day alimentary questionnaire. The bread and penne pasta were chosen for their visual resemblance and similar taste to maximize the blindness of the study. In order to reach the daily amount of gluten in a standard diet (estimated in France between 10 and 15 g/d) in the control arm, each day patients will have to ingest six capsules of vital gluten wheat made for the study. Vital gluten flour is an over-the-counter food supplement used to enrich a protein diet or as a base for making products, such as seitan. Capsules will be made using commercially available vital gluten and contain 0.35 g of gluten per capsule. The total amount of gluten in the control arm will be approximately 10.5 g/day. After the 16-week GFD, patients will be offered to follow or not follow the GFD according to their own decision for an 8-week open-labelled follow-up period. The study duration for each patient is 24 weeks. The patient recruitment is expected to last 2 years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
Dietary supplement without gluten
Dietary supplement with gluten
CHU de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGCHU de Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand, France
RECRUITINGCHU de Grenoble
Grenoble, France
Assessment of the variation in quality of life evaluated variation inby the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) Health Index
The self-report questionnaire measures functioning and health across 17 aspects of health and 9 environmental factors (EF) in patients with SpA. The total sum of the ASAS HI ranges from 0-17, with a lower score indicating a better health status.
Time frame: Change from baseline ASAS HI score at 16 weeks
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on the activity of SpA evaluated by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI).
The BASDAI consists of a 0 - 10 scale measuring discomfort, pain, and fatigue (0 being no problem and 10 being the worst problem) in response to six questions. The resulting 0 to 50 score is divided by 5 to give a final 0 - 10 BASDAI score. Scores of 4 or greater suggest suboptimal control of disease,
Time frame: Change from baseline BASDAI score at 16 weeks
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on parameters of inflammation evaluated by the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
An ESR is a type of blood test that measures how quickly erythrocytes settle at the bottom of a test tube that contains a blood sample. Normally, red blood cells settle relatively slowly. A faster-than-normal rate may indicate inflammation in the body.
Time frame: Change from baseline ESR at 16 weeks
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on parameters of inflammation evaluated by the C-reactive protein (CRP)
A c-reactive protein test measures the level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in your blood. CRP is a protein made by your liver. It's sent into your bloodstream in response to inflammation. Normally, you have low levels of c-reactive protein in your blood. High levels may be sign of a serious infection or other disorder.
Time frame: Change from baseline CRP at 16 weeks
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DOUBLE
Enrollment
200
Hospices Civils de Lyon
Lyon, France
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGCHU de Montpellier
Montpellier, France
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGAssistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) - Hôpital Cochin
Paris, France
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGCHU de Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne, France
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGeffects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on fatigue assessed by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) Fatigue Scale.
The FACIT Fatigue Scale is a short, 13-item, that measures an individual's level of fatigue during their usual daily activities over the past week. Score range 0-52. A score of less than 30 indicates severe fatigue. The higher the score, the better the quality of life
Time frame: Change from baseline FACIT score at 16 weeks
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on depression evaluated by the Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD)
The HAD scale is a fourteen item scale that generates: Seven of the items relate to anxiety and seven relate to depression. Each item on the questionnaire is scored from 0-3 and this means that a person can score between 0 and 21 for either anxiety or depression. cut-off point of 8/21 for anxiety or depression
Time frame: Change from baseline HAD score at 16 weeks
Variations in the abundance and type of different bacterial species found in the intestinal microbiota for a subgroup of patients
The microbiota will be analyzed in a subgroup of patients (n = 40) using stool samples collected at J0 and S16
Time frame: Change from baseline abundance and types of bacteria at 16 weeks
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on functional disability asssessed by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functionnal Index (BASFI) questionnaire
Functional disability index consisting of 10 questions. The final score is calculated on 100 points. The higher the score, the greater the handicap.
Time frame: Change from baseline BASFI score at 16 weeks and at 24 weeks
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on the persistence of fibromyalgia syndrome
the Fibromyalgia rapid screening tool (FIRST) questionnaire makes it possible to screen for fibromyalgia syndrome quickly and easily. The FIRST questionnaire consists of 6 questions. A score of 5/6 or higher indicates definite fibromyalgia syndrome
Time frame: Persistence of fibromyalgia syndrome at week 16 and 24 (if present at inclusion)
Evaluation of compliance with the GFD by an interview with the dietician
The patient's compliance to the GFD will be evaluated by the dietician using an online 3-day alimentary questionnaire. The patient will have to postpone all food consumed and its quantity during the last 3 days before the consultation with the dietician
Time frame: at week 16
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on body mass index (BMI)
The BMI will be calculated by the formula (height/weight²).
Time frame: Change from baseline BMI at week 16 and 24
effects of a 16-week GFD versus placebo diet on Homeostasis Model Assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)
Insulin resistance will be calculated by the following formula : fasting blood glucose (mmol / l) x fasting insulin (μmol/l) /22.5. A score greater than or equal to 3 indicates insulin resistance
Time frame: Change from baseline insulin resistance at week 16