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                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 225

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE RESOLUTION

No. 54 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY SHAPIRO, BEYER, BISHOP, CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER,
           COHEN, CREIGHTON, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE,
           GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI,
           HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, KOTIK, KULA, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY,
           MAJOR, MANTZ, McCALL, McGEEHAN, McILHATTAN, MILLARD, MOYER,
           O'NEILL, PALLONE, PARKER, PAYNE, PERRY, PHILLIPS, PRESTON,
           QUINN, RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, MELIO, ROHRER,
           ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, M. SMITH,
           SOLOBAY, SONNEY, STABACK, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, VEREB,
           VULAKOVICH, WALKO, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD,
           FEBRUARY 5, 2007

        INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
           FEBRUARY 5, 2007

                                  A RESOLUTION

     1  Designating the week of February 11 through 17, 2007, as "Long
     2     QT Syndrome Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.

     3     WHEREAS, Long QT syndrome is an inherited rhythm disorder, or
     4  arrhythmia, of the heart's electrical system in which the heart
     5  muscle takes an abnormally long time to recharge between
     6  heartbeats, resulting in an electrical disturbance in an
     7  otherwise normally structured heart; and
     8     WHEREAS, The electrical disturbance of long QT syndrome is
     9  commonly triggered by exercise, competitive sports, emotional
    10  stress or a startling event and both reduces the volume of blood
    11  pumped to the brain and starves the brain of oxygen, causing
    12  fainting, seizure and/or sudden cardiac arrest; and
    13     WHEREAS, Long QT syndrome predominately affects children and

     1  young adults, with symptoms most commonly beginning in preteen
     2  to teenage years; and
     3     WHEREAS, According to the Mayo Clinic, long QT syndrome
     4  affects an estimated 1 in every 6,000 people in the United
     5  States; and
     6     WHEREAS, Awareness of this disease, its symptoms and warning
     7  signs and acceptance of the fact that children and young adults
     8  can and do have heart disorders are keys to saving lives; and
     9     WHEREAS, Symptoms of long QT syndrome which raise red flags
    10  in the adult population are often overlooked or misinterpreted
    11  in the younger population and misdiagnosed as fainting or
    12  seizure disorders such as epilepsy; and
    13     WHEREAS, Sudden cardiac arrest is the first symptom in 1 out
    14  of 10 long QT syndrome patients; and
    15     WHEREAS, Long QT syndrome appears to be a common cause of
    16  sudden and unexplained death in children and young adults and is
    17  estimated to cause the sudden death of as many as 5,000 children
    18  and young adults each year; and
    19     WHEREAS, Long QT syndrome has been linked to many deaths
    20  caused by sudden infant death syndrome; and
    21     WHEREAS, QT prolongation is detected on an electrocardiogram,
    22  and long QT syndrome, once diagnosed, is readily treatable with
    23  beta-blocker medications and, if warranted, pacemaker or
    24  cardioverter-defibrillator implantation; and
    25     WHEREAS, Inherited long QT syndrome is caused by mutations of
    26  at least eight genes; and
    27     WHEREAS, As many as 50% of individuals who carry the genetic
    28  code for long QT syndrome never exhibit symptoms, yet they may
    29  pass the specific gene types on to their children; and
    30     WHEREAS, Genetic testing is available to determine those
    20070H0054R0225                  - 2 -     

     1  individuals who carry the three most common types of long QT
     2  syndrome genes; and
     3     WHEREAS, More than 50 common medications, electrolyte
     4  abnormalities and various medical conditions are other causes of
     5  long QT syndrome; and
     6     WHEREAS, Simon Sudman of Montgomery County passed away in
     7  January 2005 at the age of three months as a result of long QT
     8  syndrome, and on January 27, 2007, the annual Simon's Soiree
     9  will be held in Simon's memory; therefore be it
    10     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
    11  week of February 11 through 17, 2007, as "Long QT Syndrome
    12  Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
    13     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge
    14  Pennsylvanians to become familiar with the symptoms and
    15  conditions associated with long QT syndrome.










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