Findings

Congress finds that— (1)Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic and painful inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract which are difficult to diagnose due their invisible symptoms and similarity to other intestinal disorders; (2)Crohn’s disease may occur in any section of the gastrointestinal tract but is predominantly found in the lower part of the small intestine and the large intestine; (3)ulcerative colitis is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the innermost lining of the colon, and complete removal of the colon in patients with ulcerative colitis can alleviate symptoms; (4)because Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis behave similarly, they are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease; (5)both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis present a variety of symptoms, including severe diarrhea, dehydration, lack of appetite, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, abdominal pain with cramps, fever, and rectal bleeding; (6)while there is no known cause or medical cure for inflammatory bowel disease, current evidence suggests that genetics, bacteria, and environmental factors may play a role; (7)it is estimated that up to 1,400,000 people in the United States are afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease; (8)it is believed that there are an additional 600,000 Americans who have inflammatory bowel disease, but whose condition is either misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, thereby resulting in their failure to receive proper treatment; (9)approximately 110 persons (1/3 of whom are adolescents) are diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease in this country each day; (10)inflammatory bowel disease affects approximately 100,000 children under the age of 18 and has been detected in infants just months old, with the disease’s second wave developing in adults over the age of 50; (11)inflammatory bowel disease accounts for an estimated 200,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year; (12)the annual cost in missed workdays for Americans with inflammatory bowel disease is estimated to be in the billions of dollars or about $5,500 per patient with active disease; (13)approximately 200,000 patients with inflammatory bowel disease receive some form of permanent work disability compensation from the Social Security Administration; (14)these patients have reported low quality of life and persistent, systemic, active disease requiring frequent surgical intervention or hospitalization, thus impacting their ability to work and function normally; (15)children with inflammatory bowel disease miss school and related activities because the disease often becomes too painful and a constant feature of their lives; (16)an estimated 2/3 to 3/4 of children with Crohn’s disease will undergo multiple surgical operations in their lifetime to remove permanently scarred intestinal tissue, thus putting them at risk for developing short bowel syndrome and other life-threatening complications; (17)60 to 90 percent of children with recurrent Crohn’s disease will experience growth failures, and many adults who have onset of bowel disease as children experience delayed puberty and impaired growth, and never reach their full genetic growth potential; (18)inflammatory bowel disease also puts patients at high risk for developing colorectal cancer; (19)the Federal Government, public and private organizations, healthcare providers, and the medical community are striving to work together more closely in order to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by Crohn’s disease; (20)the United States Postal Service has issued stamps featuring critical causes in need of medical or social awareness in line with the criteria set out by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee; and (21)the breast cancer semipostal research stamp has now become the best-selling postage stamp in United States history, raising over $60,000,000 for breast cancer research.