SLS 17RS-1333 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 80
BY SENATOR MILLS
SENATE. Designates the month of May 2017 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in
Louisiana.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To designate the month of May 2017 as Cystic Fibrosis Month in Louisiana.
3 WHEREAS, Cystic Fibrosis, known as CF, affects cells that produce mucus,
4 perspiration, and digestive juices in the human body; and
5 WHEREAS, these normally thin, slippery fluids are rendered thick and sticky and,
6 rather than acting as lubricants, the cells affected by CF plug tubes, ducts, and passageways,
7 especially in the lungs and pancreas; and
8 WHEREAS, CF impacts roughly seventy thousand people around the world and
9 thirty thousand of those adults and children live in the United States; and
10 WHEREAS, advances in treatment and improvements leading to earlier detection of
11 this disease have led to people living longer with CF, thereby increasing the population
12 suffering from this debilitating condition; and
13 WHEREAS, throughout the world, more than half of those living with CF are
14 children, and one thousand new cases of this disabling condition are diagnosed each year;
15 and
16 WHEREAS, CF is a genetic defect and in order for a child to have CF, both parents
17 must carry the defective gene, which is recessive, and pass these flawed genes on to the child
18 in order for the disease to manifest in the child; and
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 80
SLS 17RS-1333 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, the progressive damage caused by CF to the respiratory system and
2 chronic digestive system problems are among the most common manifestations of CF; and
3 WHEREAS, respiratory damage is caused by mucus build-up in the lungs, and
4 bacterial infections, leading, eventually, to permanent lung damage, including the formation
5 of scar tissue or fibrosis, which impedes the ability of the lungs to inflate and deflate; and
6 WHEREAS, CF affects a specific protein called cystic fibrosis transmembrane
7 regulator that controls the normal movement of sodium chloride, as well as water, in and out
8 of cells throughout the body; and
9 WHEREAS, the effect of CF on the pancreas causes the ducts to become blocked,
10 causing cystic fibrosis-related diabetes; and
11 WHEREAS, almost half of all those affected with CF today are over eighteen years
12 of age; and
13 WHEREAS, infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is the most reliable and
14 least costly method to identify persons likely to have CF; and
15 WHEREAS, early diagnosis of CF permits early treatment and enhances the life
16 expectancy as well as improving the quality of life of those living with CF; and
17 WHEREAS, the average life expectancy of those with CF has been steadily
18 increasing since the 1950s and is currently nearly forty years; and
19 WHEREAS, the critical component of treating patients with CF includes access to
20 innovative treatments which can affect both longevity and quality of life; and
21 WHEREAS, improving both length and quality of life for people with CF begins
22 with both earlier diagnosis and greater awareness of the disease and its consequences.
23 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
24 does hereby designate the month of May 2017 as Cystic Fibrosis Month in Louisiana.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
26 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Louisiana.
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 80
SLS 17RS-1333 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SR 80 Original 2017 Regular Session Mills
Designates the month of May 2017 as Cystic Fibrosis Month in Louisiana.
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