Conventional treatments for juvenile dermatomyositis (corticoids, methotrexate, immunoglobulins) are sometimes ineffective and/or poorly tolerated. More recent molecules can then be proposed. A survey of 121 health professionals, mostly paediatricians and rheumatologists practising in the United States, revealed the following observations
- half of the prescribers waited an average of four months before considering a second-line treatment,
- among these new molecules, rituximab is clearly preferred by prescribers over abatacept, tocilizumab and infliximab,
- the “seniority” of the practitioner does not modify practices.
The results of this survey will be used to establish national recommendations in a field where comparative studies are few and statistical evidence of efficacy is limited.
