Psoriasis Awareness Month

Floor Speech

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to bring attention to the serious, debilitating, chronic diseases of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. August is Psoriasis Awareness Month, and I urge you to support S. 571, the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act for 2009--important legislation that I have cosponsored with my colleagues.

This legislation will fill important gaps in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection and research, and is an important step in providing relief to the as many as 7.5 million Americans that the National Institutes of Health, NIH, estimates suffer from these non-contagious, genetic autoimmune diseases.

Psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease, yet is widely misunderstood, minimized, and undertreated. Between 10 and 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints. Without treatment, psoriatic arthritis can be disabling. Of serious concern is that people with psoriasis are at elevated risk for myriad co-morbidities, including but not limited to, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and mental health conditions. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis impose significant burdens on individuals and society. Psoriasis alone is estimated to cost the Nation 56 million hours of lost work and between $2 billion and $3 billion annually.

The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act would help combat the pain, suffering, and stigma of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis by expanding psoriasis research conducted by the NIH and strengthening patient data collection on these diseases by establishing a national psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient registry through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a summit to discuss issues and opportunities in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research. Finally, the bill calls upon the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study and issue a report on recommendations with respect to access to care for people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Taken together, these efforts will help reduce and prevent suffering from these conditions.

I would like to take a moment to recognize Paula Blount, a National Psoriasis Foundation volunteer whose 6-year-old daughter Hannah has psoriasis. While this disease is physically painful, for a child, the emotional pain can be just as debilitating. In the summer months, little Hannah endured many stares and rude remarks at the public pool. Her psoriasis was particularly bad, covering a large portion of her small body. Paula eventually bought a pool for the backyard so her daughter could swim at home without being teased and embarrassed. It is important that we do all we can to work with groups like the National Psoriasis Foundation to raise awareness about the disease and to fight the stigma that this serious autoimmune disease is just a case of ``dry skin.''

In my home State of Oregon there are over 89,000 of my constituents living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I encourage my colleagues to meet with psoriasis patients in your States to learn more about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and work to reduce the misconceptions surrounding these conditions. I further urge you to join with me and other colleagues in supporting people with psoriasis by cosponsoring S. 571.

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the letter dated August 6, 2009, from Consumers Federation of America, et al., be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record

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