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