[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 119 (Thursday, September 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1808-E1809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL PSORIASIS FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2006

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the National 
Psoriasis Foundation and of August as Psoriasis Awareness Month to 
bring much-needed attention to an often overlooked and serious disease 
that affects constituents in each of our districts. According to the 
National Institutes of Health, NIH, as many as 7.5 million Americans 
are affected by psoriasis--a chronic, inflammatory, painful, 
disfiguring and disabling disease for which there are limited 
treatments and no cure. Ten to thirty percent of people with psoriasis 
also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and 
swelling in and around the joints. Psoriasis is widely misunderstood, 
minimized and undertreated. In addition to the pain, itching and 
bleeding caused by psoriasis, many affected individuals also experience 
social discrimination and stigma. Many people also mistakenly believe 
psoriasis to be contagious. Psoriasis typically first strikes between 
the ages of 15 and 25 and lasts a lifetime. As such, psoriasis and 
psoriatic arthritis impose significant burden on individuals and 
society; together they cost the Nation 56 million hours of lost work 
and between $2 billion and $3 billion in treatments each year.
  Despite the serious adverse effects that psoriasis and psoriatic 
arthritis have on individuals, families and society, psoriasis and 
psoriatic arthritis are underrecognized and underfunded by our Nation's 
research institutions. The NIH has spent less than $1 per person with 
psoriasis on average each of the last 10 years. At the historical and 
current rate of psoriasis funding, NIH funding is not keeping pace with 
research needs. The scientific advisors of the National Psoriasis 
Foundation believe that between 5 and 10 additional psoriasis-specific 
investigator-initiated research

[[Page E1809]]

grants are needed each year to begin to make real progress toward 
improved treatments and, eventually, a cure.
  There are an average of 17,000 people living with psoriasis and 
psoriatic arthritis in every congressional district--estimate based on 
2000 Census Data/Census apportionment population with the average size 
of a congressional district of 646,952 and prevalence rate of 2.6 
percent. Approximately 320,000 people are affected by psoriasis in 
Pennsylvania.
  Fortunately, we have two support groups in Pennsylvania affiliated 
with the National Psoriasis Foundation. I am pleased that my 
constituents have a welcome and knowledgeable support group to help 
them know they need not face their disease without help. Support group 
interaction and discussion provides individuals affected by this 
debilitating disease with much-needed comfort, assistance and 
resources. The work of the support groups in Pennsylvania is 
invaluable, and I commend the efforts of those involved.
  I thank the National Psoriasis Foundation for all of its efforts and 
leadership over the last 38 years and am grateful to the foundation and 
its members for their ongoing commitment to improving the quality of 
life of people who have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Moreover, I 
thank the constituents, Kathleen Brickley, Carl and Sandy Christofano, 
Eileen Gallant and Lara Wine Lee, who visited my Washington, DC, office 
earlier this year to educate me and my staff about the challenges 
associated with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. This year, the 
National Psoriasis Foundation had nearly 100 participants join in its 
Capitol Hill Day to elevate awareness and understanding of psoriasis 
and psoriatic arthritis and have policymakers take action to address 
access to care and boost the Nation's research efforts.
  Too many people suffer needlessly from psoriasis and psoriatic 
arthritis due to incorrect or delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment 
options, and/or insufficient access to care. I stand ready to work with 
my constituents and the National Psoriasis Foundation to help elevate 
the importance of expanding psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research 
and ensuring access to care and treatment for this disease. I urge my 
colleagues to learn more about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, to 
take action to support their affected constituents and to support the 
National Psoriasis Foundation in its important endeavors.

                          ____________________