[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                   BLEEDING DISORDERS AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                              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.

                          ____________________