[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                   BLEEDING DISORDERS AWARENESS MONTH

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                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 16, 2016

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, March 2016 marks the 30th anniversary 
of President Ronald Reagan's one-time declaration of March 1986 as 
Hemophilia Awareness Month. The goal of Bleeding Disorders Awareness 
Month, as we now call it, is to augment awareness of hemophilia and all 
inheritable bleeding disorders, which unfortunately have no cure in 
sight. These incurable, hereditary disorders affect millions of 
Americans each day. Roughly 1 million Americans suffer from Von 
Willebrand disease (VMD), a genetic bleeding disorder which prevents 
blood from clotting properly due to a defective blood protein, and 
around 20,000 are affected by hemophilia, a rare genetic bleeding 
disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly--for people with 
hemophilia, a simple cut can be life-threatening. Consequently, 
treatment is costly; it involves life-long infusions of clotting factor 
therapies which serve as a replacement for missing or deficient blood 
clotting proteins.
   Although treatment for Americans affected by bleeding disorders can 
be costly, it has improved immensely. Given the tremendous advances in 
treating hemophilia, with proper treatment and self-care, most people 
with hemophilia can maintain an active, productive lifestyle. However, 
the costs of treatment for individuals with inherited bleeding 
disorders can still be improved with increased awareness, research, and 
education.
   For instance, the CDC Division of Blood Disorders conducts 
Hemophilia Treatment Center research and this research recently 
resulted in a more effective test for inhibitors, a complication of 
hemophilia. Medical innovations like this are made possible through 
extensive research and are an effective means to reduce treatment costs 
and increase diagnoses for individuals with hemophilia and related 
inherited blood issues. Awareness, research, and education are some of 
the most effective ways to improve care for Americans with inherited 
bleeding disorders and Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month helps elevate 
all three.

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