[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8137-8138]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF LUPUS AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 31, 2012

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as co-chair of the 
Congressional Lupus Caucus, to recognize and honor Lupus Awareness 
Week. As Members of Congress, we need to do all that we can to get the 
word out about this little understood, yet life-threatening autoimmune 
disease.
  Lupus affects 1.5 million Americans, of which 90% are female, yet no 
one patient experiences the same pattern of symptoms. In fact, a wide 
variety of medications must be used to treat the disease since the 
manifestations of Lupus vary dramatically from one person to another.
  Unfortunately, many more people suffer in silence as they have yet to 
be diagnosed with Lupus. Many symptoms of Lupus mimic those of other 
illnesses, and symptoms can come and go over time, which makes 
diagnosis difficult. Consequently, an accurate diagnosis of Lupus can 
take as long as four years and usually comes after visits to more than 
three physicians.
  But, through Lupus awareness month and other grassroots efforts to 
raise awareness, more and more people with Lupus are leading healthier 
lives and living longer than at any time in history.
  Furthermore, researchers are working to better understand the 
complexity of lupus and are making great strides in the quest for more 
effective treatments. Today, there are more than two dozen potential 
drugs for Lupus in the development pipeline.
  Lupus is still complex and unpredictable, but with each day that 
passes, we are coming closer to greater relief from this disease. For 
this reason, I will continue to raise awareness and do what I can to 
secure the resources needed to build upon the steady strides already 
achieved in Lupus research and development.

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