Whereas autoimmune diseases are chronic, disabling
diseases in which underlying defects in the immune system lead the body to
attack its own organs and tissues;
Whereas autoimmune diseases can affect any part of the
body, including the blood, blood vessels, muscles, nervous system,
gastrointestinal tract, endocrine glands, and multiple-organ systems, and can
be life-threatening;
Whereas researchers have identified over 80 different
autoimmune diseases, and suspect at least 40 additional diseases of qualifying
as autoimmune diseases;
Whereas researchers have identified a close genetic
relationship and a common pathway of disease that exists among autoimmune
diseases, explaining the clustering of autoimmune diseases in individuals and
families;
Whereas the family of autoimmune diseases is
under-recognized, and poses a major health care challenge to the United
States;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates
that autoimmune diseases afflict up to 23,500,000 people in the United States,
75 percent of the people affected are women, and the prevalence of autoimmune
diseases is rising;
Whereas NIH estimates the annual direct health care costs
associated with autoimmune diseases at more than $100,000,000,000 and there are
over 250,000 new diagnoses each year;
Whereas autoimmune diseases are among the top 10 leading
causes of death in female children and adult women;
Whereas autoimmune diseases most often affect children and
young adults, leading to a lifetime of disability;
Whereas diagnostic tests for most autoimmune diseases are
not standardized, making autoimmune diseases very difficult to diagnose;
Whereas, because autoimmune diseases are difficult to
diagnose, treatment is often delayed, resulting in irreparable organ damage and
unnecessary suffering;
Whereas the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academies reported that the United States is behind other countries in research
into immune system self-recognition, the cause of autoimmune diseases;
Whereas a study by the American Autoimmune Related
Diseases Association revealed that it takes the average patient with an
autoimmune disease more than 4 years, and costs more than $50,000, to get a
correct diagnosis;
Whereas there is a significant need for more collaboration
and cross-fertilization of basic autoimmune research;
Whereas there is a significant need for research focusing
on the etiology of all autoimmune-related diseases, to increase understanding
of the root causes of these diseases rather treating the symptoms after the
disease has had its destructive effect;
Whereas the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient
Groups is a coalition of national organizations focused on autoimmune diseases
working to consolidate the voices of patients with autoimmune diseases and to
promote increased education, awareness, and research into all aspects of
autoimmune diseases through a collaborative approach; and
Whereas designating May 2007 as National Autoimmune
Diseases Awareness Month
would help educate the public about autoimmune
diseases and the need for research funding, accurate diagnosis, and effective
treatments: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)designates May
2007 as National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month
;
(2)supports the
efforts of health care providers and autoimmune patient advocacy and education
organizations to increase awareness of the causes of, and treatments for,
autoimmune diseases; and
(3)supports the goal
of increasing Federal funding for aggressive research to learn the root causes
of autoimmune diseases, as well as the best diagnostic methods and treatments
for people with autoimmune diseases.
April 25, 2007
Reported without amendment