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Sickle cell pain may start in the bones, scans put that idea to the test

NCT ID NCT05283148

NEW Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of California, Davis Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 23, 2026 · Last updated Sep 23, 2026

Summary

Researchers at the University of California, Davis are studying whether low bone density and small spine fractures are linked to pain in adults with sickle cell disease. About 53 adults with sickle cell disease, ages 18 to 80, take part. Each person has a DXA scan to measure bone density in the spine, hip, forearm, and whole body, plus a spine X-ray analysis to check for vertebral fractures. Participants also fill out a pain questionnaire. The goal is to see whether people with weaker bones or spine fractures report more pain.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If low bone density and spine fractures turn out to line up with worse pain, doctors could start checking bones in sickle cell patients and treating bone loss as one way to ease pain.
What could go wrong
This is a small observational study of 53 people, so it can show a link but not prove that bone problems cause pain. Bone scans and pain questionnaires may miss other reasons for pain in sickle cell disease.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

53 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2022

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-80 years with SCD (any genotype, confirmed by hemoglobin electrophoresis or high performance liquid chromatography) * Ability to provide written informed consent * Ability to lay on a DXA scanner * Negative urine pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential at study entry Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women * Adults unable to consent * Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers) * Prisoners * Hospitalizations (any cause) within 2 weeks of study entry

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

avascular necrosis Bone Diseases, Metabolic osteonecrosis osteoporosis sickle cell disease spinal fracture

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Avascular necrosis Ischemic necrosis Low bone density Osteonecrosis Osteopenia Osteoporosis Sickle cell anemia Sickle cell disease Vertebral compression Vertebral fracture

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Sacramento, California, 95817, United States

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