[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14539]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING GROWTH DISORDER AWARENESS WEEK

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, on behalf of every child currently 
living with a growth disorder I wish to recognize this week--September 
13-19, 2015--as Growth Disorder Awareness Week.
  A child's growth is a strong indicator of that child's overall health 
status. According to the Pictures of Standard Syndromes and Undiagnosed 
Malformations, POSSUM, database, more than 600 serious diseases and 
health conditions can cause growth failure. These diseases range from 
nutritional disturbances and hormone imbalances to far more serious 
conditions that affect the kidneys or even lead to brain tumors. While 
these conditions affect a child's growth progress, a stunning 48 
percent of children with the most common growth disorders go 
undiagnosed. To make matters worse, the longer a child with growth 
failure goes undiagnosed, the greater the potential for long-term 
health issues and higher costs of treatment. Early detection and 
diagnosis are, therefore, critical to ensuring a healthy future for 
these children.
  This week, as we recognize Growth Awareness Week, I applaud the MAGIC 
Foundation for the tremendous work they do to further public awareness 
of growth failure and to improve the lives and health of the children 
whom they affect.

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