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Not yet recruitingNCT07329556Updated Jan 9, 2026

Skin Autofluorescence Assessment of Advanced Glycation End Products in Rheumatic Diseases

An observational study in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA, Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis, sponsored by Bursa City Hospital. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-09.

Sponsored by Bursa City Hospital · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
300
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

Rheumatic diseases are chronic inflammatory conditions that can lead to long-term tissue damage and increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are harmful molecules that accumulate in the body over time and are known to promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Increased AGE burden has been implicated in several chronic diseases; however, its role in rheumatic diseases has not been fully clarified.

This observational, cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the accumulation of AGEs in patients with various rheumatic diseases compared with healthy individuals. AGE levels will be assessed non-invasively using skin autofluorescence measurements.

By comparing AGE burden between patients and healthy controls, this study seeks to improve understanding of the potential role of AGEs in the pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases and to explore their usefulness as a non-invasive biomarker in clinical practice.

02

Conditions studied

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Reactive Arthritis (ReA)
  • Crystal Arthropathies
  • Connective Tissue Diseases
  • Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF )
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In context

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

3,332 studies on the registry are indexed under Arthritis, Rheumatoid; 443 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 300 is above the median of 176 across 1,016 observational studies indexed under Arthritis, Rheumatoid.

Browse Arthritis, Rheumatoid studies →

Lead sponsor

Bursa City Hospital is the lead sponsor of 71 studies on the registry; 31 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

The study population consists of adult patients aged 18 to 75 years diagnosed with inflammatory rheumatic diseases who are followed at a tertiary rheumatology outpatient clinic, as well as age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers without a history of rheumatic or chronic inflammatory disease. All participants will undergo a single, non-invasive skin autofluorescence measurement to assess advanced glycation end-product (AGE) accumulation.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18 and 75 years
  • Diagnosis of an inflammatory rheumatic disease (including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, connective tissue diseases, Behçet disease, familial Mediterranean fever, or crystal arthropathies), confirmed by a rheumatologist
  • Healthy volunteers without a history of rheumatic or chronic inflammatory disease (for the control group)
  • Ability to undergo non-invasive skin autofluorescence measurement
  • Ability and willingness to provide written

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2)
  • Chronic kidney disease with estimated (eGFR) \< 60 mL/min/1.73 m²
  • Active or history of malignancy within the past 5 years
  • Presence of acute infection or acute inflammatory condition at the time of assessment
  • Secondary causes of systemic inflammation unrelated to the underlying rheumatic disease (e.g., uncontrolled endocrine disorders, chronic liver disease)
  • Use of medications known to markedly affect AGE accumulation or skin autofluorescence measurements (e.g., recent high-dose systemic )
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Presence of significant skin conditions (e.g., extensive dermatitis, scars, tattoos, or burns) at the measurement site that may interfere with skin autofluorescence assessment
  • Inability to comply with study procedures or to provide
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
300 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Rheumatic Diseases Group

    Patients diagnosed with inflammatory rheumatic diseases undergoing skin autofluorescence measurement.

  • Healthy Control Group

    Age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers without a diagnosis of rheumatic disease.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Skin Autofluorescence-Derived Advanced Glycation End Product Level

    Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) accumulation assessed non-invasively by skin autofluorescence measurement using a validated AGE Reader device, expressed in arbitrary units (AU).

    Time frame: Baseline (single study visit)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Comparison of AGE Levels Between Rheumatic Disease Subtypes

    Comparison of skin autofluorescence-derived advanced glycation end-product (AGE) levels among different rheumatic disease subgroups and healthy controls.

    Time frame: Baseline (single study visit)

  2. Association Between AGE Levels and Inflammatory Markers

    Association between skin autofluorescence-derived AGE levels and systemic inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

    Time frame: Baseline

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Publications

  • de Groot L, Hinkema H, Westra J, Smit AJ, Kallenberg CG, Bijl M, Posthumus MD. Advanced glycation endproducts are increased in rheumatoid arthritis patients with controlled disease. Arthritis Res Ther. 2011;13(6):R205. doi: 10.1186/ar3538. Epub 2011 Dec 14. PubMed 22168993 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 9, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07329556
Lead sponsor
Bursa City Hospital
Responsible party
Taner Dandinoğlu (Principal Investigator, Bursa City Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 9, 2026
Start date
Jan 15, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jan 15, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 15, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jan 9, 2026

Study contacts

Altuğ Güner, MD
Contact
altugguner555@gmail.com
+905337414088

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jan 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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