[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 320 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 320


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 11, 2002

Received and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                                Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
      Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding scleroderma.

Whereas scleroderma is a debilitating and potentially fatal autoimmune disease 
        with a broad range of symptoms which may be either localized or 
        systemic;
Whereas scleroderma may attack vital internal organs, including the heart, 
        esophagus, lungs, and kidneys, and may do so without causing any 
        external symptoms;
Whereas more than 300,000 people in the United States suffer from scleroderma;
Whereas the symptoms of scleroderma include hardening and thickening of the 
        skin, swelling, disfigurement of the hands, spasms of blood vessels 
        causing severe discomfort in the fingers and toes, weight loss, joint 
        pain, difficulty swallowing, extreme fatigue, and ulcerations on the 
        fingertips which are slow to heal;
Whereas people with advanced scleroderma may be unable to perform even the 
        simplest tasks;
Whereas 80 percent of the people suffering from scleroderma are women between 
        the ages of 25 and 55;
Whereas scleroderma is the 5th leading cause of death among all autoimmune 
        diseases for women who are 65 years old or younger;
Whereas the wide range of symptoms and localized and systemic variations of 
        scleroderma make it difficult to diagnose;
Whereas the average diagnosis of scleroderma is made 5 years after the onset of 
        symptoms;
Whereas the cause of scleroderma is still unknown and there is no known cure; 
        and
Whereas the estimated annual direct and indirect costs of scleroderma in the 
        United States are $1,500,000,000: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) private organizations and health care providers should 
        be recognized for their efforts to promote awareness of and 
        research on scleroderma;
            (2) the people of the United States, including the medical 
        community, should make themselves aware of the symptoms of 
        scleroderma and contribute to the fight against scleroderma;
            (3) the National Institutes of Health should continue to 
        take a leadership role in research efforts regarding the fight 
        against scleroderma and should allow for broad dissemination of 
        the information learned from such research; and
            (4) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should 
        consider additional methods to improve disease surveillance of 
        scleroderma.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 10, 2002.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.