[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 113 (Thursday, July 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S6538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS WEEK

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
592, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 592) designating the week of 
     September 13-19, 2010, as ``Polycystic Kidney Disease 
     Awareness Week,'' and supporting the goals and ideals of 
     Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week to raise awareness 
     and understanding of polycystic kidney disease and the impact 
     the disease has on patients now and for future generations 
     until it can be cured.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 592) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 592

       Whereas polycystic kidney disease (known as ``PKD'') is one 
     of the most prevalent life-threatening genetic diseases in 
     the world, affecting an estimated 600,000 people in the 
     United States, including newborn babies, children, and 
     adults, regardless of sex, age, race, geography, income, or 
     ethnicity;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease comes in 2 forms, 
     autosomal dominant, which affects 1 in 500 people worldwide, 
     and autosomal recessive, a rare form that affects 1 in 20,000 
     live births and frequently leads to early death;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease causes multiple cysts to 
     form on both kidneys, leading to an increase in kidney size 
     and weight;
       Whereas the cysts caused by polycystic kidney disease can 
     be as small as the head of a pin or as large as a grapefruit;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease is a systemic disease 
     that damages the kidneys and the cardiovascular, endocrine, 
     hepatic, and gastrointestinal systems;
       Whereas patients with polycystic kidney disease often 
     experience no symptoms during the early stages of the 
     disease, and many patients do not realize they have PKD until 
     the disease affects other organs;
       Whereas the symptoms of polycystic kidney disease can 
     include high blood pressure, chronic pain in the back, sides 
     or abdomen, blood in the urine, urinary tract infections, 
     heart disease, and kidney stones;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease is the leading genetic 
     cause of kidney failure in the United States;
       Whereas more than half of patients suffering from 
     polycystic kidney disease will reach kidney failure, 
     requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive, thus 
     placing an extra strain on dialysis and kidney 
     transplantation resources;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease has no treatment or cure;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease instills in patients the 
     fear of an unknown future with a life-threatening genetic 
     disease, and of possible genetic discrimination;
       Whereas polycystic kidney disease is an example of how 
     collaboration, technological innovation, scientific momentum, 
     and public-private partnerships can--
       (1) generate therapeutic interventions that directly 
     benefit the people suffering from polycystic kidney disease;
       (2) save billions of Federal dollars paid by Medicare, 
     Medicaid, and other programs for dialysis, kidney 
     transplants, immunosuppressant drugs, and related therapies; 
     and
       (3) open several thousand spots on the kidney transplant 
     waiting list;
       Whereas improvements in diagnostic technology and the 
     expansion of scientific knowledge about polycystic kidney 
     disease have led to--
       (1) the discovery of the 3 primary genes that cause 
     polycystic kidney disease and the 3 primary protein products 
     of the genes; and
       (2) the understanding of cell structures and signaling 
     pathways that cause cyst growth, which has produced multiple 
     polycystic kidney disease clinical drug trials; and
       Whereas thousands of volunteers throughout the United 
     States are dedicated to expanding essential research, 
     fostering public awareness and understanding, educating 
     patients and their families about polycystic kidney disease 
     to improve treatment and care, providing appropriate moral 
     support, and encouraging people to become organ donors: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of September 13-19, 2010, as 
     ``Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week'';
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of a national week to 
     raise public awareness and understanding of polycystic kidney 
     disease;
       (3) recognizes the need for additional research into a 
     treatment and a cure for polycystic kidney disease; and
       (4) encourages the people of the United States and 
     interested groups to--
       (A) support Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week 
     through appropriate ceremonies and activities;
       (B) promote public awareness of polycystic kidney disease; 
     and
       (C) foster understanding of the impact of the disease on 
     patients and their families.

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