[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 809 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 809

 Supporting the designation of the third week of November, November 14 
            to November 20, 2021, as ``TED Awareness Week''.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2021

  Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois submitted the following resolution; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the designation of the third week of November, November 14 
            to November 20, 2021, as ``TED Awareness Week''.

Whereas the National Institutes of Health defines a rare disease as a condition 
        that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States;
Whereas currently there are approximately 7,000 rare diseases impacting almost 
        30,000,000 Americans;
Whereas thyroid eye disease (TED) is a serious, progressive, and rare autoimmune 
        condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy 
        muscle and fat tissue behind the eye, causing inflammation and scar 
        tissue to form;
Whereas people living with TED often have debilitating symptoms of eye bulging, 
        double vision, blurred vision, pain, and facial disfigurement, and in 
        severe cases, TED can lead to blindness;
Whereas people living with TED are often impacted by long-term functional, 
        psychosocial, and economic burdens, including the inability to work or 
        perform activities of daily living;
Whereas the exact underlying process by which TED occurs is not fully 
        understood, and TED is a serious, vision-threatening condition that can 
        get worse over time;
Whereas TED is a rare disease and is estimated to have a prevalence of 16 per 
        100,000 women in the United States, and 2.9 per 100,000 men in the 
        United States;
Whereas a diagnosis of TED is based upon identification of characteristic 
        symptoms, a detailed patient history, a thorough clinical evaluation, 
        and a variety of specialized tests; and
Whereas there is a genetic component to the condition, and people who have a 
        family member with the disease or a family member with an autoimmune 
        disease are at a greater risk of developing the condition: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes those 
leading advocacy organizations, including the Autoimmune Association 
and Prevent Blindness, that are engaged in disease awareness and 
patient support about TED, and supports the designation of a ``TED 
Awareness Week''.
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