In Brazil, fibromyalgia has been legally recognized as a disability with Law 15,176 which has just come into force. In Italy the regulatory situation is still in the development phase.
In Brazilthe Law no. 15.176/2025which came into force at the beginning of January 2026represents a historic change in the legal recognition of fibromyalgia as a condition that can be considered a disability for legal and administrative purposes. The law modifies the Statute of Persons with Disabilities by establishing that those with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia will be able to access a series of rights similar to those guaranteed to people with already recognized disabilities. The law has been nicknamed “Gaga Law” because of its own Lady Gaga he has spoken publicly about his own several times fibromyalgiadescribing its impact on daily life and work: his statements (interviews, documentaries, posts on social media) have had enormous international resonance and also in Latin Americahelping to raise awareness of a long underestimated pathology.
There fibromyalgia manifests itself above all with widespread and persistent musculoskeletal painoften accompanied by intense tiredness which does not improve with rest. They are frequent too sleep disordersconcentration and memory difficulties (called fibro-fog), headache and morning stiffness. Symptoms tend to vary over time and worsen with stress, cold or physical exertion. The diagnosis is clinical and based onexclusion of other pathologies and on the presence of widespread pain for at least three months.
Brazilian law therefore now allows, to those who demonstrate through psychosocial and medical evaluation that fibromyalgia significantly limits daily and working life, to request benefits such as: the Continued Performance Benefiti.e. a social subsidy, access to employment quotas for people with disabilitiesthetax exemption on vehicle purchases adapted and the possibility of early retirement due to disability: any case obviously must be assessed individually by specialized teams to verify the functional impact of the syndrome.
The situation in Italy: a path still in progress
In Italy, the Fibromyalgia is not automatically recognized as a disability or disabling disease nationally: the pathology it is not included in the official ministerial tables. In recent years they have been presented numerous legislative proposals And parliamentary motions to insert fibromyalgia into Essential Levels of Assistance (LEA) and recognize it as chronic and disabling disease on a national scale. However, these bills, although discussed in Commissions and carried forward by various political forces, they have not yet become law and remain under parliamentary discussion. At the regional level, some initiatives have already made progress. For example, the Campania region approved a unified text for the recognition of fibromyalgia as a chronic and disabling disease with dedicated diagnostic-therapeutic paths and economic and social support measures for patients.
