title: Early tumor necrosis factor α antagonist therapy in everyday practice for inflammatory back pain suggesting axial spondyloarthritis: results from a prospective multicenter french cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of and factors associated with early tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) antagonist therapy in everyday clinical practice in patients with suspected axial spondyloarthropathy (SpA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the prospective observational study in the French Devenir des Spondylarthropathies Indifférenciées Récentes (DESIR; Outcome of Recent Undifferentiated Spondylarthropathies) cohort of 708 patients with recent-onset (<3 years) inflammatory back pain (IBP) suggesting axial SpA. TNFα antagonist use was recorded at months 6 and 12 and factors independently associated with TNFα antagonist therapy were identified by multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 708 patients (mean age 33.8 years, 46.2% men), 166 (23.4%) patients received TNFα antagonist therapy by month 12, including 120 (73.6%) patients who fulfilled Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) axial criteria and 157 (94.6%) who fulfilled at least 1 SpA criteria set; 109 (65.6%) had no sacroiliitis. Factors independently associated with early TNFα antagonist therapy were high Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score using the C-reactive protein level (odds ratio [OR]1-point increase 1.60, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.25-2.03, P < 0.001), high physician's global disease activity score (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.21-1.54, P < 0.001), ASAS nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug score >50 (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.24-2.87, P = 0.003), current or past disease-modifying antirheumatic drug use (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.22-3.59, P = 0.008), systemic corticosteroid use (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.43-4.34, P = 0.002), and mild to severe radiographic hip abnormalities (OR 9.43, 95% CI 2.11-42.09, P = 0.003). After adjustment on these factors, Achilles enthesis hypervascularization by power Doppler and number of work days missed were associated with TNFα antagonist therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the DESIR cohort, approximately one-fourth of patients with recent IBP suggestive of axial SpA were under anti-TNFα therapy after 1 year of followup. All factors associated with this early initiation reflected higher disease activity, refractoriness, or severity, which suggests compliance of French rheumatologists with current treatment guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Est Créteil and APHP, Hôpital Henri-Mondor, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Canouï-Poitrine
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poulain
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molto
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Thuaut
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lafon
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Farrenq
authors.forename: Salah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferkal
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Corvoisier
authors.forename: Bijan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ghaleh
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bastuji-Garin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fautrel
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dougados
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Claudepierre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001416:Back Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D025241:Spondylarthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha