[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 148--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THERE IS 
 A CRITICAL NEED TO INCREASE RESEARCH, AWARENESS, AND EDUCATION ABOUT 
                    CEREBRAL CAVERNOUS MALFORMATIONS

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 148

       Whereas cerebral cavernous malformation (in this resolution 
     referred to as ``CCM''), or cavernous angioma, is a 
     devastating blood vessel disease that has enormous 
     consequences for people affected and their families;
       Whereas cavernous angiomas are malformations in the brain 
     that cannot be detected easily, except through very specific 
     medical imaging scans;
       Whereas people with CCM are rarely aware that they have the 
     disease, which makes taking blood thinners or aspirin risky;
       Whereas, according to the Angioma Alliance, in the general 
     population, 1 in approximately 200 people has CCM;
       Whereas, according to the Angioma Alliance, more than \1/2\ 
     of the people with CCM experience symptoms at some point in 
     their lives;
       Whereas, according to the Angioma Alliance, there is a 
     hereditary form of CCM, caused by a mutation or deletion on 
     any 1 of 3 genes, that is characterized by multiple cavernous 
     malformations;
       Whereas, according to the Angioma Alliance, each child born 
     to parents with the hereditary form of CCM has a 50 percent 
     chance of having CCM;
       Whereas, according to the Angioma Alliance, a specific 
     genetic mutation of CCM called the ``common Hispanic 
     mutation'', which has been traced to the original Spanish 
     settlers of the Americas in the 1590's, has now spread across 
     at least 17 generations of families;
       Whereas while CCM is more prevalent in certain States, 
     families throughout the United States are at risk;
       Whereas a person with CCM could go undiagnosed until sudden 
     death, seizure, or stroke;
       Whereas there is a shortage of physicians who are familiar 
     with CCM, making it difficult for people with CCM to receive 
     timely diagnosis and appropriate care;
       Whereas the shortage of such physicians has a 
     disproportionate impact on thousands of Hispanics across the 
     United States;
       Whereas CCM has not been studied sufficiently by the 
     National Institutes of Health and others;
       Whereas there is a need to expeditiously initiate pilot 
     studies to research the use of medications to treat CCM; and
       Whereas medications that treat CCM will enable preventive 
     treatment that reduces the risk of hemorrhage in those who 
     have been diagnosed, thereby saving lives and dramatically 
     reducing healthcare costs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that there is 
     a critical need to increase research, awareness, and 
     education about cerebral cavernous malformations.

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