ENROLLED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 49
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
A RESOLUTION
To recognize November 14-20, 2021, as Thyroid Eye Disease Awareness Week.
WHEREAS, Thyroid Eye Disease, or 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; and
WHEREAS, people living with TED often have debilitating symptoms of eye
bulging, double vision, blurred vision, pain, and facial disfigurement; in more severe cases,
it can lead to blindness; and
WHEREAS, people living with TED often experience long-term functional,
psychosocial, and economic burdens, such as the inability to work or perform basic functions
of daily life; and
WHEREAS, the exact underlying process by which TED occurs is not fully
understood, and the disease is a serious, vision threatening condition that is capable of
worsening over time; and
WHEREAS, TED is a rare disease that affects an estimated sixteen out of every one
hundred thousand women and less than three out of every one hundred thousand men; and
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; there is a genetic component to the condition, and people who have a
family member with the disease, or any other autoimmune disease, are at a greater risk of
developing TED; and
WHEREAS, Thyroid Eye Disease Awareness Week has been established through a
collaboration between advocacy groups including the American Autoimmune Related
Diseases Association, Inc., and Louisiana BIO.
Page 1 of 2 HR NO. 49 ENROLLED
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby recognize November 14-20, 2021, as Thyroid Eye
Disease Awareness Week.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Page 2 of 2