IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 245
Recognizing the significance of Sjo¨gren’s disease as a serious and systemic
autoimmune disease and expressing support for the designation of April
2025 as ‘‘Sjo¨gren’s Awareness Month’’.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH24, 2025
Mr. M
ORELLEsubmitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of Sjo¨gren’s disease as a serious
and systemic autoimmune disease and expressing support
for the designation of April 2025 as ‘‘Sjo¨gren’s Aware-
ness Month’’.
Whereas up to 4,000,000 adults in the United States are liv-
ing with Sjo¨gren’s disease (Sjo¨gren’s);
Whereas Sjo¨gren’s is a systemic autoimmune disease that af-
fects the entire body;
Whereas the characteristic symptoms of Sjo¨gren’s include
profound fatigue, extensive dryness throughout the body
(including the eyes, mouth, esophagus, sinuses, skin, and
genitals), and pain;
Whereas complications from Sjo¨gren’s include chronic pain,
major organ involvement, neuropathies, cognitive dys-
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•HRES 245 IH
function, gastrointestinal dysfunction, interstitial cystitis,
lymphomas, and, in babies whose mothers have Sjo¨gren’s,
fetal heartblock ;
Whereas the average age for a diagnosis of Sjo¨gren’s is cur-
rently between the ages of 45 and 55, although Sjo¨gren’s
can affect individuals of all ages;
Whereas the ratio of women to men living with a Sjo¨gren’s
diagnosis is approximately 9 to 1;
Whereas the cause of Sjo¨gren’s is not known, and there is
no single test to diagnose the autoimmune disease;
Whereas individuals living with Sjo¨gren’s must bear high out-
of-pocket costs in order to afford medications to control
inflammation and dryness, relieve joint, muscle, and
nerve pain, reduce acid reflux due to limited saliva pro-
duction, and treat the devastating complications of oral,
ocular, and other dryness;
Whereas rheumatologists primarily treat individuals with
Sjo¨gren’s, but a wide variety of other specialists are also
involved with the treatment of Sjo¨gren’s, including den-
tists, neurologists, ocular specialists, otolaryngologists,
gastroenterologists, nephrologists, and pulmonologists;
Whereas Sjo¨gren’s is often difficult to diagnose and, since
many health care providers are unfamiliar with the dis-
ease, additional training is essential to ensure patients
receive accurate and timely diagnoses;
Whereas the physical and psychological impact of Sjo¨gren’s
can severely affect an individual’s duties at home and in
the workplace;
Whereas there is a need to update the nomenclature to clas-
sify Sjo¨gren’s as a disease, including by the Federal Gov-
ernment;
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•HRES 245 IH
Whereas there is a need for more research to understand the
pathology that leads to the autoimmune attack in
Sjo¨gren’s, including the role of the interplay of the im-
mune and nervous systems;
Whereas clinical trials are underway to test the efficacy of
targeted therapies that will address the cause of
Sjo¨gren’s, and research is underway to identify genes and
environmental influences that may contribute to under-
standing who is susceptible to Sjo¨gren’s; and
Whereas more research is needed to identify new therapies
and clear biomarkers to help individuals with Sjo¨gren’s
manage the symptoms and complications as they age:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
(1) recognizes Sjo¨gren’s disease as a serious 2
health issue that causes a significant health burden; 3
(2) encourages the Secretary of Health and 4
Human Services and the heads of other relevant 5
agencies— 6
(A) to expand, enhance, and increase re-7
search of Sjo¨gren’s disease and identify new 8
areas of research through the Office of Auto-9
immune Disease Research; 10
(B) to improve the understanding of the 11
causes of Sjo¨gren’s disease and identify bio-12
markers that will help with patient stratifica-13
tion and diagnosis, disease management, and 14
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development of targeted therapies for Sjo¨gren’s 1
patients; 2
(C) to better quantify and regularly track 3
the number of Sjo¨gren’s patients, as many indi-4
viduals are believed to be undiagnosed or are 5
misdiagnosed, such as those that have Sjo¨gren’s 6
disease and another autoimmune disease; 7
(D) to update literature on Sjo¨gren’s dis-8
ease and disseminate such literature to health 9
providers to increase awareness and accurate 10
knowledge about the disease; and 11
(E) to build awareness of Sjo¨gren’s disease 12
among physicians and communities in under-13
served areas so that patients with Sjo¨gren’s dis-14
ease are diagnosed correctly and obtain the care 15
they need; and 16
(3) expresses support for the designation of 17
‘‘Sjo¨gren’s Awareness Month’’. 18
Æ
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