[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CHRONIC FATIGUE AND IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, May 12th is Chronic Fatigue and 
Immune Dysfunction Awareness Day.
  Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome afflicts more than 
800,000 Americans. CFIDS, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) 
and myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a complex and debilitating medical 
disorder characterized by profound exhaustion, intense widespread pain, 
and severe problems with memory and concentration. It usually lasts for 
years, and many never recover. Because the symptoms of CFS are common 
to other conditions and no diagnostic test exists, it is often 
overlooked by health care providers. In fact, government studies show 
that only 15 percent of those who have CFS have been diagnosed by their 
doctor. It is even more difficult for CFS patients to get appropriate 
symptomatic treatment.
  The cause of CFS is not yet known. Much of what we do know about CFS 
has been documented by researchers funded by the National Institutes of 
Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
Here are some facts: women age 30-50 are at greatest risk for 
developing CFS, and Latinos and African Americans are at greater risk 
for CFS than Caucasians or Asians. Children can get CFS too, although 
it is more common in teens than younger children. The condition may 
begin suddenly, as with the flu, or it may build gradually over time. 
Physical or mental exertion makes symptoms worse.
  Individuals with CFS are severely impacted by the disease and, 
according to CDC studies, their functional status is the same as or 
worse than those suffering from obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary 
heart disease, osteoarthritis and severe depression. People with CFS 
often lose the ability to maintain full-time employment, attend school 
and participate fully in family life. The Nation's economy is also 
seriously affected; the annual direct cost of lost productivity due to 
CFS is $9.1 billion, an amount equivalent to Wal-Mart's annual profits.
  There is hope. The Department of Health and Human Services has 
chartered a CFS Advisory Committee that meets quarterly to discuss 
research and service to people with CFS. The CDC is conducting 
promising research that may lead to a diagnostic test for CFS. Other 
researchers are following important leads that may improve treatment 
and deepen understanding of the way CFS affects various body systems. 
However, in fiscal year 2004, just $15 million was spent by the Federal 
Government to conduct research on this devastating illness. CFS 
consistently ranks at the bottom of NIH funding charts and even during 
the period when Congress was doubling the NIH budget, support for CFS 
research declined.
  Many challenges remain and more federal funding is needed to answer 
basic questions. It is time for Congress to do more to help them. I 
urge my colleagues to earmark $10 million for CFIDS research in the 
next annual appropriation for the National Institutes of Health. CFS 
warrants the support of this Congress and we must find a way to help 
hundreds of thousand of Americans get back to work. Let's not wait 
another day.

                          ____________________