Rheumatological diseases, the funds are there now accelerate the service network

In Italia, about 5 million people live with a rheumatological disease. This is a large and little-visible universe, made up of chronic and often disabling pathologies that represent one of the main causes of persistent pain, functional limitation and loss of autonomy. Rheumatological diseases are thus among the leading causes of disability in industrialised countries and also significantly affect the ability to work.

Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, fibromyalgia and many other conditions affect millions of citizens, often of working age and with a clear prevalence of women. In the face of these numbers, however, the organisation of rheumatology services in our country continues to present structural criticalities: the availability of specialist centres is uneven, waiting times for examinations are often long, and significant territorial differences in early diagnosis and multidisciplinary care persist.

It is in this context that the provisions of Law No. 199 of 30 December 2025 (Budget Law 2026) are particularly important. With an amendment - with the first signature of Senator Maria Cristina Cantù - letter p) of paragraph 340 of Article 1 was in fact introduced, which provides for the launch of a national programme for the prevention and treatment of rheumatological diseases. The paragraph provides for a total appropriation of 238 million euros per year starting from 2026, from the share of the standard national health requirement, for the strengthening of many collective prevention and public health measures in various therapeutic areas. In the case of rheumatology, reference is made to diseases with a high clinical and social impact such as fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis of recent onset. Precisely for this reason, in the definition of the decree for the allocation of resources, it will be important to ensure that adequate attention is also paid to the strengthening of rheumatology services.

In addition, limited to the year 2026, paragraph 341 introduces an additional total financing of 247 million euros, of which 127 million from the availabilities provided for by the 2025 Budget Law (Law of 30 December 2024, no. 207, Article 1, paragraph 275) and 120 million from the standard national health requirements of the 2026 Budget Law (paragraph 333). In total, for 2026 alone, the earmarked resources come close to EUR 500 million: an extraordinary sum, which must now be translated into concrete actions.

For patients, early diagnosis is a decisive element in the treatment pathway. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, for example, the timely initiation of treatment in the early stages of the disease can substantially change the clinical course, reducing the risk of irreversible joint damage and disability. Similarly, for complex systemic diseases such as lupus or systemic sclerosis, the presence of specialist centres with multidisciplinary expertise is crucial to ensure appropriate treatment pathways.