[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 241 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 241

 Designating the period beginning on September 13, 2009, and ending on 
 September 19, 2009, as ``National Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness 
 Week'', and supporting the goals and ideals of a National Polycystic 
      Kidney Disease Awareness Week to raise public awareness and 
 understanding of polycystic kidney disease and the impact polycystic 
    kidney disease has on patients and future generations of their 
                               families.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 2009

     Mr. Kohl (for himself and Mr. Hatch) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Designating the period beginning on September 13, 2009, and ending on 
 September 19, 2009, as ``National Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness 
 Week'', and supporting the goals and ideals of a National Polycystic 
      Kidney Disease Awareness Week to raise public awareness and 
 understanding of polycystic kidney disease and the impact polycystic 
    kidney disease has on patients and future generations of their 
                               families.

Whereas polycystic kidney disease, known as ``PKD'', is 1 of the most prevalent 
        life-threatening genetic diseases in the United States;
Whereas polycystic kidney disease is a severe, dominantly inherited disease that 
        has a devastating impact, in both human and economic terms, affecting 
        equally people of all ages, races, sexes, nationalities, geographic 
        locations, and income levels;
Whereas there are 2 hereditary forms of polycystic kidney disease, with 
        autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) affecting 1 in 500 
        people worldwide, including 600,000 patients with polycystic kidney 
        disease in the United States, according to prevalence estimates by the 
        National Institutes of Health;
Whereas in families in which 1 or both parents have ADPKD there is a 50-percent 
        chance that the parents will pass the disease to their children;
Whereas autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), a rarer form of 
        PKD, affects 1 in 20,000 live births and frequently leads to early 
        death;
Whereas in families in which both parents carry ARPKD there is a 25-percent 
        chance that the parents will pass the disease to their children;
Whereas, in addition to patients directly affected by polycystic kidney disease, 
        countless additional friends, loved ones, family members, colleagues, 
        and caregivers must shoulder the physical, emotional, and financial 
        burdens of polycystic kidney disease;
Whereas polycystic kidney disease, for which there is no treatment or cure, is 
        the leading cause of kidney failure resulting from a genetic disease, 
        and 1 of the 4 leading causes of kidney failure in the United States;
Whereas the vast majority of patients with polycystic kidney disease have kidney 
        failure at the age of 53, on average, causing a severe strain on 
        dialysis and kidney transplantation resources and on the delivery of 
        health care in the United States, as the largest segment of the 
        population of the United States, the baby boomers, continues to age;
Whereas end-stage renal disease is one of the fastest growing components of the 
        Medicare budget, and polycystic kidney disease contributes to the cost 
        with an estimated $2,000,000,000 budgeted annually for dialysis, kidney 
        transplantation, and related therapies;
Whereas polycystic kidney disease is a systemic disease that causes damage to 
        the kidneys and the cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, and 
        gastrointestinal systems;
Whereas polycystic kidney disease instills in patients a fear of an unknown 
        future with a life-threatening genetic disease, and apprehension over 
        possible genetic discrimination;
Whereas the severity of the symptoms of polycystic kidney disease and the 
        limited public awareness of the disease cause many patients to fail to 
        recognize the presence of the disease, to forego regular visits to 
        physicians, and not to receive good health or therapeutic management 
        that would help avoid more severe complications when kidney failure 
        occurs;
Whereas people suffering from chronic, life-threatening diseases, such as 
        polycystic kidney disease, are more frequently predisposed to depression 
        and the resulting consequences of depression because of anxiety over the 
        possible pain, suffering, and premature death that people with 
        polycystic kidney disease may face;
Whereas the Senate and taxpayers of the United States want treatments and cures 
        for disease and hope to see results from investments in research 
        conducted by the National Institutes of Health and from initiatives such 
        as the National Institutes of Health Roadmap to the Future;
Whereas polycystic kidney disease is an example of how collaboration, 
        technological innovation, scientific momentum, and public-private 
        partnerships can--

    (1) generate therapeutic interventions that directly benefit the people 
suffering from polycystic kidney disease;

    (2) save billions of Federal dollars under Medicare, Medicaid, and 
other programs for dialysis, kidney transplants, immunosuppressant drugs, 
and related therapies; and

    (3) allow several thousand openings on the kidney transplant waiting 
list;

Whereas improvements in diagnostic technology and the expansion of scientific 
        knowledge about polycystic kidney disease have led to the discovery of 
        the 3 primary genes that cause polycystic kidney disease, and the 3 
        primary protein products of the genes, and to the understanding of cell 
        structures and signaling pathways that cause cyst growth that has 
        produced multiple polycystic kidney disease clinical drug trials;
Whereas there are thousands of volunteers nationwide dedicated to expanding 
        essential research, fostering public awareness and understanding, 
        educating patients and their families about polycystic kidney disease to 
        improve treatment and care, providing appropriate moral support, and 
        encouraging people to become organ donors; and
Whereas volunteers engage in an annual national awareness event held during the 
        third week of September, making that week an appropriate time to 
        recognize National Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates the period beginning on September 13, 2009, 
        and ending on September 19, 2009, as ``National Polycystic 
        Kidney Disease Awareness Week'';
            (2) supports the goals and ideals of a national week to 
        raise public awareness and understanding of polycystic kidney 
        disease;
            (3) recognizes the need for additional research into a cure 
        for polycystic kidney disease; and
            (4) encourages the people of the United States and 
        interested groups--
                    (A) to support National Polycystic Kidney Disease 
                Awareness Week through appropriate ceremonies and 
                activities;
                    (B) to promote public awareness of polycystic 
                kidney disease; and
                    (C) to foster understanding of the impact of the 
                disease on patients and their families.
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