Résumé
Background: The objective of the STRATEGE2 study (inclusion period: Feb. 2019-Dec. 2020) is to describe the therapeutic strategy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with methotrexate (MTX) for at least 3 months, not having received targeted biological (bDMARD) or synthetic (tsDMARD) therapy and who are candidates for initiation of first b/tsDMARD therapy due to RA activity. The STRATEGE1 study [1] (conducted between 2014 and 2015) described the therapeutic strategies introduced for RA patients with an inadequate response to MTX monotherapy. Objectives: We aim to compare the profiles of patients included in these two studies at first prescription of b/tsDMARD therapy, in order to evaluate changes in rheumatologist practices over this five-year period. Methods: STRATEGE1 and 2 are two French multicentre, prospective, longitudinal, observational studies including patients with confirmed RA (ACR 1987 or ACR/EULAR 2010). Our aim is to compare baseline data. Only data from the sub-group of patients initiating b/tsDMARD therapy are presented for STRATEGE1. Qualitative variables are compared by Fisher's exact test and quantitative variables by t-test. Results: In STRATEGE1 (2014-2015), 117 out of 854 patients initiated a b/tsDMARD therapy. In STRATEGE2 (2019-2020), 230 patients were included, with 180 in the analysis population.