The Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register

The Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register (Registro Italiano Sclerosi Multipla e Patologie Correlate - RISM) is an observational cohort study that aims to create an organised multicentre structure to collect data of all patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) followed in the various MS clinical centers in Italy (a near population-level). RISM is promoted and funded by the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla - FISM ETS). In 2014, FISM and the University of Bari constituted a "Research Unit", which manages the project and acts on behalf of the participating MS clinical centers. The governance of RISM includes an Executive Committee (chaired by FISM and the University of Bari) with administrative and organisational roles and a Scientific Committee, which oversees the scientific initiatives, promotes specific strategic projects, and approves requests for access to centralised data for further research projects. RISM aims to address high-priority research areas pertaining to: public healthcare area (quality of care, health optimisation such as economic optimisation, social and welfare information, access to healthcare treatments and healthcare services) and research area (epidemiology, rare MS disease forms such as primary progressive MS, pediatric MS as well as early and preclinical/subclinical disease stages represented by clinically isolated syndromes and radiologically isolated syndromes, treatment optimisation such as prognostic factors and predictive models of disease course, adherence to treatments, treatment efficacy, and safety). RISM also includes patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD) and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-associated Disease (MOGAD).