[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 146 (Saturday, October 8, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      SARCOIDOSIS FLOOR STATEMENT

                                 ______


                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 1994

  Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
recognize and support November 1994 as ``National Sarcoidosis Awareness 
Month.''
  Unless you've heard a doctor pronounce its fearsome sounding 
syllables, you may not recognize the name.
  Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that usually appears in the 
lungs or lymph nodes but can begin in any organ. The cause of 
Sarcoidosis is unknown and the disease is unpredictable, appearing and 
disappearing seemingly at random and often for a lifetime. Often 
someone with Sarcoidosis cannot walk up a flight of stairs without 
stopping to catch their breath.
  Though the majority of people with Sarcoidosis can go on with 
relatively normal daily activities, 10-20 percent will eventually 
develop disabiling conditions and others will die.
  Once thought to be an uncommon disease, Sarcoidosis is now found all 
over the world, though it appears most commonly in young black adults 
or in people of German, Scandinavian, Irish, or Puerto Rican descent. 
It is difficult to estimate the number of those afflicted because 
Sarcoidosis is often not diagnosed or can be mistaken for other 
illnesses. However, the best estimate is that it affects about 5 in 
100,000 whites in the United States and about 40 of 100,000 blacks.
  The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National 
Institutes of Health is trying to resolve some of the mysteries 
surrounding Sarcoidosis. For example: Do heredity, lifestyle or 
environment have a hand in the diseases severity or appearance? And how 
can we prevent Sarcoidosis? We are thankful for the work that NIH is 
doing but we can do more.
  This issue is especially personal for me because a member of my staff 
has been undergoing extensive treatment for Sarcoidosis.
  In order to raise public awareness about this disease I again ask for 
your support and recognition of November 1994 as ``National Sarcoidosis 
Awareness Month.''

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