| 1 | 1 | | |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | <BillNo> <Sponsor> |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 73 |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | By Lynn |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | HJR0073 |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | 000446 |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | - 1 - |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | A RESOLUTION to commemorate PANDAS Awareness Day, |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | October 9, 2025. |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | with Streptococcal Infections) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | are serious illnesses that affect one in every 200 children in the United States, with 8,000 of |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | those affected children residing in Tennessee; PANDAS/PANS is likely as common as pediatric |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | cancer and pediatric diabetes; and |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, a diagnosis of PANDAS or PANS means a child has a sudden, dramatic |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | change in personality displayed as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) together with |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | accompanying symptoms following a strep, bacterial, or viral infection; the OCD can display as |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | intense fear or anxiety, and accompanying symptoms may include tics, anxiety, depression, |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | behavioral regression, deterioration in school performance, sensory sensitivities, severely |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | restricted food intake, and more; and |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, researchers have begun to substantiate that this syndrome involves a |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | misdirected autoimmune process that affects or weakens the blood brain barrier; the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | inflammatory process irritates a region of the brain that manages a variety of functions, such as |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | movement, cognitive perception, habit, executive "logic-based" thinking, emotions, and the |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | endocrine system; and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, PANDAS/PANS is often misdiagnosed and undertreated; treatment varies |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | by the needs of the individual child but may include antibiotics, steroids, plasmapheresis, |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | cognitive behavioral therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and IVIG (intravenous |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | immunoglobulin therapy), which is not covered by insurance; and |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | - 2 - 000446 |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, PANDAS/PANS has been described as a tsunami that devastates families |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | through financial distress resulting from lost wages and out-of-pocket medical expenses; and |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | WHEREAS, it is fitting that the members of this General Assembly pause to reflect on |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | this serious health issue; now, therefore, |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | CONCURRING, that we commemorate PANDAS Awareness Day, October 9, 2025. |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | without House or Senate designation. |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | |
|---|