[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15270]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 276--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2017 AS ``PULMONARY 
                       FIBROSIS AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Klobuchar, and Mr. 
Hatch) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
agreed to:

                              S. Res. 276

       Whereas pulmonary fibrosis is a debilitating and ultimately 
     fatal lung condition that causes progressive scarring in the 
     lungs and has no definitive cause;
       Whereas as many as 200,000 individuals in the United States 
     are known to suffer from pulmonary fibrosis, the majority of 
     whom are between the ages of 50 and 75;
       Whereas the average life expectancy from the diagnosis of 
     the idiopathic form of pulmonary fibrosis is just 2.8 years, 
     and as many as 80 percent of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis 
     patients die within 5 years of diagnosis;
       Whereas pulmonary fibrosis takes the lives of 40,000 or 
     more individuals in the United States each year--
     approximately 1 individual every 13 minutes;
       Whereas many patients afflicted with pulmonary fibrosis are 
     misdiagnosed for 1 year or longer after the patients are 
     presenting with pulmonary fibrosis symptoms;
       Whereas, as of July 2017, there are no confirmed biomarkers 
     for screening and testing for pulmonary fibrosis;
       Whereas a cure, treatment, or drug to halt the fibrotic 
     process in pulmonary fibrosis does not yet exist;
       Whereas the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis vary from person 
     to person and include shortness of breath, a dry cough, 
     fatigue, weight loss, and aching muscles and joints;
       Whereas volunteers, researchers, caregivers, and medical 
     professionals are working to improve the quality of life for 
     individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and for the families of 
     those individuals; and
       Whereas developing more effective treatments for pulmonary 
     fibrosis and providing access to quality care to individuals 
     with pulmonary fibrosis requires increased research, 
     education, and community support services: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2017 as ``Pulmonary Fibrosis 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of Pulmonary Fibrosis 
     Awareness Month;
       (3) continues to support more robust and accelerated 
     research to develop more effective treatments for pulmonary 
     fibrosis and to ultimately find a cure for the disease;
       (4) recognizes the courage and contributions of individuals 
     with pulmonary fibrosis who participate in vital clinical 
     trials to advance the knowledge of the disease; and
       (5) commends the dedication of organizations, volunteers, 
     researchers, and millions of individuals in the United States 
     and abroad working to improve the quality of life for 
     individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and the families of those 
     individuals.

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