[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 110 (Friday, September 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9279-S9280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL CELIAC DISEASE AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 563, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 563) designating September 13, 2006, 
     as ``National Celiac Disease Awareness Day''.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today, along with my colleague, Ben 
Nelson, to urge support for resolution designating September 13, 2006, 
as National Celiac Disease Awareness Day. We come before the Senate 
today to seek your help in raising awareness of celiac disease. Celiac 
disease hits very close to home for me as I have a staffer with the 
disease and an Oklahoma Celiac Support Group working to promote 
awareness in my great State. There are many groups and organizations 
working to promote celiac disease, and we applaud all their efforts. We 
would like to give special thanks to Heather Cline, President, with the 
Oklahoma Celiac Support Group, and Tom Sullivan, President, and Mary 
Schluckebier, Executive Director, with the Celiac Sprue Association, 
located in Nebraska, for their help with this resolution and great work 
promoting awareness.
  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder and a malabsorption disease 
that affects an estimated 2.2 million Americans which could mean as 
many as 22,000 in the State of Oklahoma. Celiac disease is, 
essentially, intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, oats 
and barley, as well as some medicines and vitamins. When exposed to 
gluten, the villi of the small intestine are damaged, interfering with 
the absorption of nutrients. Other problems can occur as a result of 
damage to the small intestine, including malnutrition, anemia, 
lymphoma, and adenocarcinoma, osteoporosis, miscarriage and congenital 
malformation, and short stature. Celiac disease is also linked other 
autoimmune disorders such as thyroid disease, systemic lupus 
erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, liver disease, collagen vascular 
disease, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome.
  Celiac disease has been widely underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed until 
recently thanks to an increase in research regarding the disease. It is 
easily detectable through tests measuring the blood for abnormally high 
levels of the antibodies of immunoglobulin A, anti-tissue 
transglutaminase and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies. Of the 2.2 million 
Americans who have celiac disease, 97 percent are currently 
undiagnosed, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease 
Program. Often the symptoms are attributed to other conditions as many 
doctors lack sufficient knowledge about the disease. In a study 
published by the American Journal of Gastroenterology, the average 
length of time for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with celiac 
disease is eleven years, dramatically increasing an individual's risk 
of developing more serious conditions. To compound the situation, 
according to a study by Dr. Allesio Fasano, published in the Archives 
of Internal Medicine, sixty percent of children and forty-one percent 
of adults diagnosed with celiac disease are asymptomatic, showing no 
symptoms of the disease.
  Treatment for celiac disease involves following a gluten-free diet. 
The good news is that the treatment for celiac disease is highly 
effective. In most sufferers, the small intestines heal completely. 
However, failure to properly diagnose celiac disease could lead to some 
of the issues mentioned earlier, and most often malnutrition.
  Awareness can go a long way toward diagnosing and treating the 
millions of suffers of celiac disease both in my home state of Oklahoma 
and across the nation. Therefore, we ask you to join us in this effort 
to raise awareness of celiac disease.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 563) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 563

       Whereas celiac disease affects 2,200,000 people in the 
     United States, including 1 in 133 healthy people;
       Whereas celiac disease is an intolerance to gluten, a 
     protein found in wheat, rye, oats, and barley, as well as 
     some medicines and vitamins;
       Whereas exposure to gluten damages the villi of the small 
     intestine, interfering with the absorption of nutrients in 
     food;
       Whereas celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder and a 
     malabsorption disease;
       Whereas celiac disease is a genetic disease, with 1 in 22 
     people having a first-degree relative with celiac disease;
       Whereas the average length of time it takes for a 
     symptomatic person to be diagnosed with celiac disease is 11 
     years;
       Whereas celiac disease is often misdiagnosed and 
     underdiagnosed due to the fact that symptoms can be 
     attributed to other conditions and many doctors are not very 
     knowledgeable about the disease;
       Whereas, according to a study, 60 percent of children and 
     41 percent of adults diagnosed with celiac disease were 
     asymptomatic;
       Whereas celiac disease is diagnosed through tests measuring 
     the blood for abnormally high levels of the antibodies of 
     immunoglobulin A, anti-tissue transglutaminase, and IgA anti-
     endomysium antibodies;
       Whereas celiac disease is treated by following a gluten-
     free diet;
       Whereas damage to the small intestine leads to an increased 
     risk for malnutrition, anemia, lymphoma and adenocarcinoma, 
     osteoporosis, miscarriage and congenital malformation, and 
     short stature;
       Whereas celiac disease is linked to many autoimmune 
     disorders, including thyroid disease, systemic lupus 
     erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, liver disease, collagen 
     vascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren's 
     syndrome;
       Whereas the connection between celiac disease and diet was 
     first established by Dr. Samuel Gee, who was born on 
     September 13, 1839;
       Whereas the Senate is an institution that can raise 
     awareness in the general public and the medical community of 
     celiac disease: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 13, 2006, as ``National Celiac 
     Disease Awareness Day'';
       (2) recognizes that all people of the United States should 
     become more informed and aware of celiac disease;

[[Page S9280]]

       (3) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     the date with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and
       (4) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Celiac Sprue 
     Association, the American Celiac Society, the Celiac Disease 
     Foundation, the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, 
     and the Oklahoma Celiac Support Group.

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