PRINTER'S NO.  3469

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

No.

717

Session of

2012

  

  

INTRODUCED BY HARHAI, BAKER, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, CAUSER, D. COSTA, DiGIROLAMO, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, GEORGE, GOODMAN, KULA, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO, MATZIE, MILLARD, MIRABITO, MOUL, M. O'BRIEN, READSHAW, ROCK, ROSS, SAINATO, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SONNEY, YOUNGBLOOD, GEIST AND DONATUCCI, MAY 7, 2012

  

  

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MAY 7, 2012  

  

  

  

A RESOLUTION

  

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Designating the week of May 21, 2012, as "Arteriovenous

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Malformation Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.

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WHEREAS, Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare,

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nonhereditary congenital defect characterized by tangled

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arteries and veins that are not connected by capillaries; and

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WHEREAS, Blood circulating through the abnormal vessels flows

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rapidly under high pressure, preventing nutrient-rich arterial

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blood from reaching tissue; and

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WHEREAS, According to the National Institute of Neurological

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Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which is part of the National

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Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 300,000 Americans have

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AVMs; and

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WHEREAS, NINDS reports that each year about 1% of persons

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with AVMs will die as a result of the AVMs; and

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WHEREAS, While occurring in fairly equal rates in men and

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women of all racial or ethnic backgrounds, AVMs are still more

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common among males; and

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WHEREAS, Because most people with AVMs do not know that they

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have them, it is imperative that the public become better

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educated; and

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WHEREAS, According to the International RadioSurgery

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Association, AVMs are the leading cause of stroke in young

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people between 10 and 30 years of age; and

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WHEREAS, According to NINDS, most people with AVMs experience

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few, if any, significant symptoms, and malformations tend to be

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discovered only incidentally, usually during autopsy or

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treatment for an unrelated disorder; and

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WHEREAS, Twelve percent of the affected population, or 36,000

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of the estimated 300,000 Americans with AVMs, experience

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symptoms that vary greatly in severity, with a small fraction of

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this group having debilitating or even life-threatening

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symptoms; and

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WHEREAS, AVMs can cause a wide array of neurological symptoms

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such as muscle weakness, partial paralysis, loss of

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coordination, difficulties performing tasks which require

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planning, dizziness, visual disturbances, inability to control

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eye movement and optic disk swelling; and

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WHEREAS, AVMs can cause problems in using and understanding

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language, abnormal sensations such as numbness, tingling or

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spontaneous pain, memory loss, mental confusion, hallucinations

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or dementia; and

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WHEREAS, Treatment depends on the type and location of the

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AVM and the condition of the patient; and

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WHEREAS, Although AVM symptoms are often alleviated with

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medication, the most effective treatments include surgery,

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radiation therapy and embolization; and

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WHEREAS, Researchers have difficulty classifying the

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different kinds of AVMs and developing new treatments; and

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WHEREAS, NINDS, which is recognized as a leading sponsor of

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AVM research, conducts research studies in partnership with

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medical institutions such as Columbia University Medical Center;

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and

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WHEREAS, The NINDS-Columbia partnership created the

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Arteriovenous Study Group, which has been conducting long-term

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research on the natural course of AVMs in patients and

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improvements in AVM surgeries; and

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WHEREAS, As research efforts progress, the public is

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encouraged to learn all they can about AVM, share it with their

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families and friends and provide aid and comfort for traumatized

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loved ones who have been touched by this disorder; therefore be

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it

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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the

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week of May 21, 2012, as "Arteriovenous Malformation Awareness

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Week" in Pennsylvania.

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