Gemelli Longitudinal Cohort on Long-term Outcomes in RheumatIc diseAses

Rationale of GLORIA Chronic rheumatic diseases (CRDs) represent a heterogeneous group of conditions with varying epidemiological, pathophysiological, and clinical aspects. CRDs are characterized substantial impact on population morbidity and mortality and relevance in terms of public health decision making and social costs. A timely and accurate definition of the prognosis for CRDs patients is crucial for improving clinical outcomes, as well as for strategically allocating healthcare resources and minimizing indirect economic and non-economic costs.

The most significant CRDs in terms of prevalence or need for intensive care fall into three main categories: autoimmune and inflammatory immune-mediated diseases, metabolic and degenerative diseases, and extra articular pain syndromes of which fibromyalgia (FM) is the most diffuse.

The category of autoimmune or inflammatory immune-mediated diseases includes conditions attributed to aberrant activation of the immune system, with the highest prevalence conditions being primary arthritis and conditions that are individually less common but collectively epidemiologically relevant such as connective tissue diseases, vasculitis, and autoinflammatory syndromes. Similarly to organ-specific autoimmune conditions, these have shown an increasing incidence in the last decades. Most of them are associated with multi-organ involvement and potentially life-threatening complications.

Degenerative and metabolic pathologies include primary and secondary osteoarthritis, crystal arthropathies, and metabolic bone diseases, with osteoporosis and algodystrophy being the most prevalent forms. These conditions are extensively associated with aging processes and endocrine-metabolic diseases. Their prevalence has increased over the last decades considering the demographic trends of the Italian population and concurrently with the rising incidence of closely related conditions such as the so called "metabolic syndrome". They represent a relevant morbidity burden in the general population around the world and their complications have been associated with increased mortality.

Finally, FM is the most common cause of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain particularly in women between 20 and 55 years of age. FM is often accompanied by fatigue, cognitive disorders, psychiatric symptoms, and multiple somatic symptoms. It is characterized by forms of central sensitization in the absence of documented inflammation affecting joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.