House Resolution 26 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 26 BY L. MILLER , RUNNING-MARQUARDT , and PETERSEN A Resolution recognizing May as Lupus Awareness Month 1 in Iowa. 2 WHEREAS, the Lupus Foundation of America designates 3 May as National Lupus Awareness Month to show support 4 for all Americans who have lupus; and 5 WHEREAS, lupus is an acute and chronic autoimmune 6 disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, 7 causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually 8 every organ system in the body; and 9 WHEREAS, lupus can affect any part of the body, 10 including the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain, 11 and can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, 12 miscarriages, and organ failure; and 13 WHEREAS, although lupus strikes mostly women of 14 childbearing age, no one is immune from lupus; and 15 African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Native 16 Americans are two to three times more likely to develop 17 lupus, a disparity that remains unexplained; and 18 WHEREAS, lupus can be particularly difficult to 19 diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those 20 of many other illnesses, with more than one-half of 21 all people with lupus enduring four or more years of 22 suffering and visiting three or more doctors before 23 obtaining a correct diagnosis; and 24 WHEREAS, major gaps exist in understanding 25 the causes and consequences of lupus, and current 26 treatments for the disease can have damaging side 27 effects; and 28 -1- LSB 2739HH (3) 84 jr/rj 1/ 2
H.R. 26 WHEREAS, in 2011 the United States Food and Drug 1 Administration has approved the first new drug for 2 lupus in half a century; and 3 WHEREAS, 16,000 Americans develop lupus every 4 year and 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans have been 5 diagnosed with the disease, including nearly 15,000 6 people in Iowa; NOW THEREFORE, 7 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 8 That the House of Representatives recognizes May 9 2011 as Lupus Awareness Month in Iowa and urges all 10 Iowans to observe this month by educating themselves 11 on the symptoms and impact of lupus, and to join with 12 the Iowa Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America 13 in supporting programs of research, education, and 14 community service. 15 -2- LSB 2739HH (3) 84 jr/rj 2/ 2