[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H3979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
                                DIABETES

  (Mr. CUMMINGS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, diabetes is a disease of national impact. 
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are an estimated 
15.7 million people who suffer from this disease. The frightening fact 
is that there are over 5 million people that have it and are unaware of 
it.
  Medical technology has not yet discovered a way to prevent this 
disorder. Only treatment is available. It is known as the silent killer 
because it seldom gives any warning of its presence. Many people are 
unaware that they have diabetes until they suffer from one of its life-
threatening complications, blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease, 
amputations, heart disease and stroke.
  The African-American community is nearly twice as likely to suffer 
from this disorder that can cause the body to not produce enough 
insulin or not properly use it. Over 2.3 million African-Americans have 
been diagnosed and over half are unaware that they have this silent and 
deadly disorder.
  I urge this Congress to reduce the number of Americans suffering from 
diabetes and increase funding for biomedical research.

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