[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 606-607]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       REGARDING NEED FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH INTO HYDROCEPHALUS

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 63 
and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the concurrent resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 63) expressing the 
     sense of the Congress regarding the need for additional 
     research into the chronic neurological condition 
     hydrocephalus, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 63) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 63

       Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need for 
     additional research into the chronic neurological condition 
     hydrocephalus, and for other purposes.
       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

[[Page 607]]

       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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