On September 10, the House approved, 369-2, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 320) expressing the sense of Congress that awareness of, and research on, scleroderma be promoted. Sponsored by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), the resolution urges the National Institutes of Health to work more closely with private organizations and researchers to find a cure.
The resolution also states that the federal government has a responsibility to promote awareness regarding the disease and urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give priority consideration to the establishment of a national epidemiological study to better track the incidence of scleroderma. The resolution was approved by voice vote after the committee approved, by voice vote, a substitute amendment making technical changes.
Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that attacks internal organs. Roughly 80 percent of the people suffering from scleroderma are women aged 25 to 55, and the disease is the fifth leading cause of death among all autoimmune diseases for women.
