SLS 21RS-1259 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 39
BY SENATOR BARROW
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH. Recognizes May 2021 as Lupus Awareness Month in
Louisiana.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To recognize May 2021 as Lupus Awareness Month in Louisiana.
3 WHEREAS, lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the
4 body, often the skin, joints, and organs, yet few Americans are even aware of the existence
5 of the condition and its possible symptoms; and
6 WHEREAS, the Lupus Foundation of America estimates that one and a half million
7 Americans, and at least five million people worldwide, have a form of lupus; and
8 WHEREAS, this disease affects people of all nationalities, races, genders, and ages,
9 which makes informing people of lupus and its affects more important because everyone is
10 at risk; and
11 WHEREAS, lupus can be particularly difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are
12 similar to those of many other illnesses, and the medical profession's current knowledge of
13 the causes and effects of the disease are incomplete; and
14 WHEREAS, on average, it takes nearly six years for people with lupus to be
15 diagnosed from the time they first notice their lupus symptoms, and many people have been
16 seen by four or more different health care providers for their lupus symptoms before being
17 accurately diagnosed; and
18 WHEREAS, no two cases of lupus are exactly alike because signs and symptoms
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SLS 21RS-1259 ORIGINAL
1 may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or
2 permanent; and
3 WHEREAS, most people with lupus have a mild disease characterized by periods
4 when signs and symptoms are worse for a time and then improve or disappear; and
5 WHEREAS, people with lupus can experience significant symptoms such as pain,
6 extreme fatigue, hair loss, cognitive issues, physical impairments, and many suffer from
7 cardiovascular disease, strokes, disfiguring rashes, and painful joints, while others have no
8 visible symptoms; and
9 WHEREAS, the World Lupus Foundation has made a global call-to-action on behalf
10 of the millions of people affected by lupus worldwide to better disseminate information
11 about this unpredictable, but devastating disease; and
12 WHEREAS, research indicates that nearly two-thirds of the public have little or no
13 knowledge regarding this disease and the designation of May 2021 as Lupus Awareness
14 Month is necessary to bring this disease to the attention of a wider audience; and
15 WHEREAS, the designation of May 2021 as Lupus Awareness Month in Louisiana
16 is an effort to more widely disseminate information about symptoms, hoping to bring people
17 affected to seek treatment at the earliest possible moment or to recognize the symptoms in
18 those with whom they frequently come into contact, in order that they can seek treatment.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
20 does hereby recognize May 2021 as Lupus Awareness Month in Louisiana.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Brandi Cannon.
DIGEST
SR 39 Original 2021 Regular Session Barrow
Recognizes May 2021 as Lupus Awareness Month in Louisiana.
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