[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S16018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 63--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE CONGRESS 
      REGARDING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH INTO THE CHRONIC 
      NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION HYDROCEPHALUS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. REID (for Mrs. Clinton) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                            S. Con. Res. 63

       Whereas hydrocephalus is a serious neurological condition, 
     characterized by the abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluids 
     in the ventricles of the brain;
       Whereas there is no known cure for hydrocephalus;
       Whereas hydrocephalus affects an estimated 1,000,000 
     Americans;
       Whereas 1 or 2 in every 1,000 babies are born with 
     hydrocephalus;
       Whereas over 375,000 older Americans have hydrocephalus, 
     which often goes undetected or is misdiagnosed as dementia, 
     Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease;
       Whereas, with appropriate diagnosis and treatment, people 
     with hydrocephalus are able to live full and productive 
     lives;
       Whereas the standard treatment for hydrocephalus was 
     developed in 1952, and carries multiple risks including shunt 
     failure, infection, and overdrainage;
       Whereas there are fewer than 10 centers in the United 
     States specializing in the treatment of adults with normal 
     pressure hydrocephalus;
       Whereas, each year, the people of the United States spend 
     in excess of $1,000,000,000 to treat hydrocephalus;
       Whereas a September 2005 conference sponsored by 7 
     institutes of the National Institutes of Health--
     ``Hydrocephalus: Myths, New Facts, Clear Directions''--
     resulted in efforts to initiate new, collaborative research 
     and treatment efforts; and
       Whereas the Hydrocephalus Association is one of the 
     Nation's oldest and largest patient and research advocacy and 
     support networks for individuals suffering from 
     hydrocephalus: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That--
       (1) Congress commends the Director of the National 
     Institutes of Health for working with leading scientists and 
     researchers to organize the first-ever National Institutes of 
     Health conference on hydrocephalus; and
       (2) it is the sense of Congress that--
       (A) the Director of the National Institutes of Health 
     should continue the current collaboration with respect to 
     hydrocephalus among the National Eye Institute, the National 
     Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of 
     Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Institute 
     of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute 
     of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute 
     on Aging, and the Office of Rare Diseases;
       (B) further research into the epidemiology, 
     pathophysiology, disease burden, and improved treatment of 
     hydrocephalus should be conducted or supported; and
       (C) public awareness and professional education regarding 
     hydrocephalus should increase through partnerships between 
     the Federal Government and patient advocacy organizations.

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