PRINTER'S NO. 1280
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 182
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MALAGARI, HILL-EVANS, FREEMAN, KENYATTA, VENKAT,
GIRAL, KHAN, SANCHEZ, SCHLOSSBERG, D. WILLIAMS, O'MARA,
CERRATO, GREEN AND CURRY, APRIL 7, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, APRIL 7, 2025
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the month of June 2025 as "Scleroderma Awareness
2 Month" and June 29, 2025, as "World Scleroderma Day" in
3 Pennsylvania.
4 WHEREAS, Scleroderma is a rare group of autoimmune diseases
5 that makes the skin harden and tighten, which may cause issues
6 in the blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, heart and lungs;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, There are two main groups of scleroderma, localized
9 scleroderma, which typically only affects one area of the skin,
10 and systemic scleroderma, which affects the skin as well as the
11 internal organs; and
12 WHEREAS, Approximately 300,000 individuals in the United
13 States have scleroderma, with one-third of those individuals
14 having systemic scleroderma; and
15 WHEREAS, Up to 80% of individuals diagnosed with scleroderma
16 are women; and
17 WHEREAS, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed
18 with systemic scleroderma than non-African Americans, and
 1 African Americans are also more likely to have earlier onset of
2 the disease and more severe symptoms; and
3 WHEREAS, Scleroderma commonly occurs between 25 and 55 years
4 of age; and
5 WHEREAS, Symptoms commonly affect the face, feet, fingers,
6 and hands first, and early symptoms include hardening and
7 tightening of the skin, swelling and itchiness; and
8 WHEREAS, Diagnosis may include physical exams, laboratory
9 tests for antibodies, skin biopsies, computerized tomography,
10 echocardiograms and pulmonary function tests; and
11 WHEREAS, There is not a cure for scleroderma, but treatment
12 may include medications to dilate blood vessels, suppress the
13 immune system, reduce stomach acid, prevent infections of ulcers
14 caused by Raynaud's phenomenon and alleviate pain, in addition
15 to physical and occupational therapies and stem cell and organ
16 transplants; and
17 WHEREAS, Symptoms associated with scleroderma may decrease on
18 their own in three to six years, while systemic scleroderma,
19 which damages the internal organs, continues to worsen; and
20 WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of
21 Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh and other entities in
22 Pennsylvania continue to research scleroderma, enabling
23 individuals to receive treatment to mitigate their symptoms; and
24 WHEREAS, Awareness of rare diseases such as scleroderma
25 assists in individuals' knowledge about the symptoms, research
26 to treat these rare diseases and providing supports to
27 individuals with rare diseases; therefore be it
28 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
29 month of June 2025 as "Scleroderma Awareness Month" and June 29,
30 2025, as "World Scleroderma Day" in Pennsylvania.
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