INTACT: RetINal Toxicity And HydroxyChloroquine Therapy Study

Overview 

The INTACT study aims to define the risk of retinal toxicity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus who have been using hydroxychloroquine (also known as Plaquenil) for five or more years. This risk is not well-defined in the literature – it currently stands between 0.5-5%. Participants will receive state-of-the-art retinal toxicity monitoring over five years, at no additional charge to them.

What will be done?

With their permission, BC rheumatology patients will be referred by their rheumatologists to a retina specialist participating in the INTACT study. Participants will provide consent to join the study and then will be scheduled for an appointment with an INTACT retina specialist. Participants will be followed yearly for an Optical Coherence Tomography scan of their retina for up to five years to monitor for any signs of retinal toxicity. At each visit, participants will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire.

At the end of the study period, participants may continue seeing the retina specialist or return to their previous ophthalmologist, if applicable.

Participation in this study includes

1. Speak with your BC rheumatologist about getting referred to Dr. Aviña’s INTACT hydroxychloroquine toxicity study.
2. Fill out and sign the consent form that will be sent to you by the INTACT study team
3. Book and attend an appointment with the INTACT retina specialist you were referred to – you will do this every year for up to 5 years
4. Complete a 5-minute questionnaire after each visit to the retina specialist

Who can participate?

You may be eligible if you:

• Live in British Columbia
• Are over the age of 18
• Have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Have been taking hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) for at least five years

Want to find out more?

Interested in participating in this study? Please contact the research team.
Email: intact.study@arthritisresearch.ca
Phone : (604) 207-4038
Fax : (604) 207-4059

If you want more information about the study, click here.

This study has been approved by the University of British Columbia’s Clinical Research Ethics Board as application number H20-00736.