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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 25, 2020 02:25 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Designating September 2020 as "Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month" |
| In the near future I will be introducing legislation to designate September 2020 as “Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania. A brain aneurysm is a weak or thin spot on an artery in the brain that bulges out and fills with blood. The bulging aneurysm can put pressure on the nerves or brain tissue. Brain aneurysms can occur in anyone and at any age. They are most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 60 and are more common in women than men. Scientific consensus is that between 3 and 5% of Americans may have an aneurysm within their lifetime. Most brain aneurysms do not show symptoms until they either become very large or rupture. All brain aneurysms have the potential to rupture and cause bleeding within the brain or surrounding area. A ruptured aneurysm can cause serious health problems such as hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage and death. When an aneurysm ruptures, one always experiences a sudden and extremely severe headache and may also develop double vision, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest. According to the National Institutes of Health, each year more than 30,000 people in the United States suffer from ruptured brain aneurysms with 40% of these individuals dying as result of the rupture and resulting complications. There are treatment options for both brain aneurysms and ruptured brain aneurysms. The risk of having an aneurysm rupture is difficult to determine, and there can be serious complications from surgical treatments to repair a ruptured aneurysm. Researchers are hard at work to further our understanding, prevention and treatment of brain aneurysms employing the fields of genetics, diagnostic tools, hormones and medication, and surgery. It is important that we Commonwealth residents are aware of brain aneurysms, the potential significance they pose to our health, and our treatment options. Please join me in co-sponsoring this piece of legislation to promote awareness of brain aneurysms. |
Introduced as SR356