109 HCON 465 IH: Expressing the sense of the Congress U.S. House of Representatives 2006-07-28 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 465 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 28, 2006 Mr. Thompson of California (for himself, Mr. McHugh, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Sherwood, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Pelosi, and Mr. George Miller of California) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need for additional research into the chronic neurological condition hydrocephalus, and for other purposes.

Whereas hydrocephalus is a serious neurological condition, characterized by the abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluids in the ventricles of the brain; Whereas there is no known cure for hydrocephalus; Whereas hydrocephalus affects an estimated one million Americans; Whereas 1 or 2 in every 1000 babies are born with hydrocephalus; Whereas over 375,000 older Americans have hydrocephalus, which often goes undetected or is misdiagnosed as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease; Whereas with appropriate diagnosis and treatment, people with hydrocephalus are able to live full and productive lives; Whereas the standard treatment for hydrocephalus was developed in 1952, and carries multiple risks including shunt failure, infection, and overdrainage; Whereas there are fewer than 10 centers in the United States specializing in the treatment of adults with normal pressure hydrocephalus; Whereas each year, the people of the United States spend in excess of $1 billion to treat hydrocephalus; Whereas a September 2005 conference sponsored by 7 institutes of the National Institutes of Health—Hydrocephalus: Myths, New Facts, Clear Directions—resulted in efforts to initiate new, collaborative research and treatment efforts; and Whereas the Hydrocephalus Association is one of the Nation's oldest and largest patient and research advocacy and support networks for individuals suffering from hydrocephalus: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Congress that— (1)the Director of the National Institutes of Health should be commended for working with leading scientists and researchers to organize the first-ever National Institutes of Health conference on hydrocephalus; (2)the Director of the National Institutes of Health should continue the current collaboration with respect to hydrocephalus among the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; the Office of Rare Diseases; the National Institute on Aging; the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the National Eye Institute; the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; and the National Human Genome Research Institute; (3)funding should be increased for research into the epidemiology, pathophysiology, disease burden, and improved treatment of hydrocephalus; and (4)public awareness and professional education regarding hydrocephalus should increase through partnerships between the Federal Government and patient advocacy organizations, such as the Hydrocephalus Association.