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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 15
BY SENATOR MOUNT AND REPRESENTATI VE KATZ
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To designate May 2011 as Lupus Awareness Month in the state of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, lupus is an acute, chronic, and lifelong autoimmune disease in which
the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually
every organ system in the body; and
WHEREAS, lupus can affect any part of the body, including the skin, lungs, heart,
kidneys, and brain, with no organ spared, and can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks,
miscarriages, and organ failure; and
WHEREAS, researchers estimate that five million people worldwide have been
diagnosed with lupus or related diseases, with about one hundred thousand new diagnoses
each year; and
WHEREAS, the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., estimates that more than one
and a half million Americans live with some form of lupus, including an estimated twenty-
one thousand in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age, when they are fifteen
to forty-four years of age, affecting all aspects of their lives, with African Americans,
Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans two to three times more likely to develop
lupus, a disparity that remains unexplained; and
WHEREAS, lupus is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to
symptoms of other illnesses, meaning that more than one-half of all people with lupus wait
four or more years and visit three or more doctors before they are correctly diagnosed; and
WHEREAS, early diagnosis and proper treatment are critical to improving the
quality of life and survival rate of those living with lupus; and
WHEREAS, major gaps exist in the understanding of the causes and consequences
of lupus, and increased public awareness, education, and research are key to winning the
battle against the disease. SCR NO. 15 ENROLLED
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
designate May 2011 as Lupus Awareness Month in the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES