1 State of Arkansas
2 93rd General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2021 SR 27
4
5 By: Senator Irvin
6
7 SENATE RESOLUTION
8 TO DESIGNATE MAY 2021 AS CYSTIC FIBROSIS AWARENESS
9 MONTH.
10
11
12 Subtitle
13 TO DESIGNATE MAY 2021 AS CYSTIC FIBROSIS
14 AWARENESS MONTH.
15
16 WHEREAS, cystic fibrosis, commonly referred to as CF, is a genetic
17 disease affecting approximately thirty thousand (30,000) children and adults
18 in the United States, and nearly seventy thousand (70,000) children and
19 adults worldwide, more than two hundred eighty (280) of whom live in
20 Arkansas; and
21
22 WHEREAS, individuals with CF have a defective gene that causes the body
23 to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, and these
24 secretions produce life-threatening lung infections and obstruct the
25 pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to help
26 break down and absorb food; and
27
28 WHEREAS, more than ten million (10,000,000) Americans are symptomless
29 carriers of the CF gene, and CF occurs in approximately one (1) out of every
30 three thousand five hundred (3,500) live births in the United States; and
31
32 WHEREAS, in the United States, the median age of survival for a person
33 with CF is forty-six (46) years of age for males and forty-one (41) years of
34 age for females; the number of adults with CF has steadily grown; and
35 approximately one thousand (1,000) new cases of CF are diagnosed each year;
36 and
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 SR27
1
2 WHEREAS, fifty-six percent (56%) of the CF population is eighteen (18)
3 years of age and older, and people with CF have a variety of symptoms
4 attributed to the more than one thousand seven hundred (1,700) mutations of
5 the CF gene; and
6
7 WHEREAS, infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is the most
8 reliable and least costly method to identify persons likely to have CF; and
9
10 WHEREAS, early diagnosis of CF permits early treatment and enhances
11 quality of life and longevity; and the treatment of CF depends on the stage
12 of the disease and the organs involved; and
13
14 WHEREAS, clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part of the
15 daily CF treatment regimen, along with treatments including inhaled
16 antibiotics and pancreatic enzymes, among others; and
17
18 WHEREAS, there are two (2) world-class treatment centers in Arkansas
19 that specialize in the diagnosis of CF and the care of individuals with CF,
20 located within Arkansas Children's Hospital and the University of Arkansas
21 for Medical Sciences; and
22
23 WHEREAS, a critical component of treating patients with CF is access to
24 innovative treatments, which can play a crucial role in the lives of patients
25 with CF; and
26
27 WHEREAS, improving the length and quality of life for people with CF
28 starts with awareness,
29
30 NOW THEREFORE,
31 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
32 STATE OF ARKANSAS:
33
34 THAT the Senate recognize the importance of awareness of cystic
35 fibrosis and designate the month of May 2021 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness
36 Month.
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