HRES 245

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 24, 2025

Mr. Morelle submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the significance of Sjogren’s disease as a serious and systemic autoimmune disease and expressing support for the designation of April 2025 as “Sjogren’s Awareness Month”.

Whereas up to 4,000,000 adults in the United States are living with Sjogren’s disease (Sjogren’s); Whereas Sjogren’s is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the entire body; Whereas the characteristic symptoms of Sjogren’s include profound fatigue, extensive dryness throughout the body (including the eyes, mouth, esophagus, sinuses, skin, and genitals), and pain; Whereas complications from Sjogren’s include chronic pain, major organ involvement, neuropathies, cognitive dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysfunction, interstitial cystitis, lymphomas, and, in babies whose mothers have Sjogren’s, fetal heartblock ; Whereas the average age for a diagnosis of Sjogren’s is currently between the ages of 45 and 55, although Sjogren’s can affect individuals of all ages; Whereas the ratio of women to men living with a Sjogren’s diagnosis is approximately 9 to 1; Whereas the cause of Sjogren’s is not known, and there is no single test to diagnose the autoimmune disease; Whereas individuals living with Sjogren’s must bear high out-of-pocket costs in order to afford medications to control inflammation and dryness, relieve joint, muscle, and nerve pain, reduce acid reflux due to limited saliva production, and treat the devastating complications of oral, ocular, and other dryness; Whereas rheumatologists primarily treat individuals with Sjogren’s, but a wide variety of other specialists are also involved with the treatment of Sjogren’s, including dentists, neurologists, ocular specialists, otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, nephrologists, and pulmonologists; Whereas Sjogren’s is often difficult to diagnose and, since many health care providers are unfamiliar with the disease, additional training is essential to ensure patients receive accurate and timely diagnoses; Whereas the physical and psychological impact of Sjogren’s can severely affect an individual’s duties at home and in the workplace; Whereas there is a need to update the nomenclature to classify Sjogren’s as a disease, including by the Federal Government; Whereas there is a need for more research to understand the pathology that leads to the autoimmune attack in Sjogren’s, including the role of the interplay of the immune and nervous systems; Whereas clinical trials are underway to test the efficacy of targeted therapies that will address the cause of Sjogren’s, and research is underway to identify genes and environmental influences that may contribute to understanding who is susceptible to Sjogren’s; and Whereas more research is needed to identify new therapies and clear biomarkers to help individuals with Sjogren’s manage the symptoms and complications as they age: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes Sjogren’s disease as a serious health issue that causes a significant health burden;

(2) encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of other relevant agencies—

(A) to expand, enhance, and increase research of Sjogren’s disease and identify new areas of research through the Office of Autoimmune Disease Research;

(B) to improve the understanding of the causes of Sjogren’s disease and identify biomarkers that will help with patient stratification and diagnosis, disease management, and development of targeted therapies for Sjogren’s patients;

(C) to better quantify and regularly track the number of Sjogren’s patients, as many individuals are believed to be undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed, such as those that have Sjogren’s disease and another autoimmune disease;

(D) to update literature on Sjogren’s disease and disseminate such literature to health providers to increase awareness and accurate knowledge about the disease; and

(E) to build awareness of Sjogren’s disease among physicians and communities in underserved areas so that patients with Sjogren’s disease are diagnosed correctly and obtain the care they need; and

(3) expresses support for the designation of “Sjogren’s Awareness Month”. <all>