Bill Text: TX HR1272 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Encouraging greater awareness of Familial Hypercholesterolemia.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-24 - Referred to Public Health [HR1272 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR1272-Introduced.html
86R27629 BK-F | ||
By: Parker | H.R. No. 1272 |
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WHEREAS, Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a | ||
life-threatening hereditary genetic condition causing high levels | ||
of LDL cholesterol in the blood due to defective LDL receptors in | ||
the body that, if left untreated, dramatically increases the risk | ||
of premature and aggressive cardiovascular disease; and | ||
WHEREAS, It is estimated that one in 250 people worldwide, | ||
1.3 million Americans, and 115,000 Texans suffer from FH, though | ||
less than 10 percent of those affected are diagnosed prior to an | ||
unexpected heart attack or stroke in early adulthood; the condition | ||
is inherited from at least one affected parent, but in rare cases | ||
where both parents are affected, the disorder is much more severe | ||
and carries a much higher risk of heart attack and heart disease, | ||
even in childhood; and | ||
WHEREAS, FH can be detected through a physical examination, | ||
blood tests, genetic testing, and the assessment of a patient's | ||
family medical history; because the condition is caused by | ||
defective LDL receptors in the body, cases cannot be treated | ||
through lifestyle and dietary changes alone and must be managed | ||
with life-preserving cholesterol-lowering drugs; and | ||
WHEREAS, Increased public awareness is needed to help ensure | ||
that FH sufferers are diagnosed and treated as early as possible; | ||
because FH is 100 percent treatable if caught in the pediatric | ||
stage, early detection has the power to save lives and prevent | ||
financial losses due to FH for Texas families and the State of | ||
Texas; and | ||
WHEREAS, Since learning eight years ago that both she and her | ||
son have FH, Wenter Blair Anderson has worked tirelessly in behalf | ||
of this goal; she has advocated for state legislation that would | ||
require lipid panel screenings for third and fourth graders during | ||
well child visits prior to the start of the school year, a practice | ||
that would comply with guidelines established by the National | ||
Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the National Heart, Lung, | ||
and Blood Institute, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as | ||
well as with the CDC Office of Public Health Genomics's designation | ||
of FH as a Tier 1 issue; and | ||
WHEREAS, Ms. Anderson has also been invited to speak at a | ||
number of medical conferences in the U.S. and abroad; a resident and | ||
cattle rancher in Ponder, she is a founding board member and former | ||
vice president of the FH Foundation, a national organization, as | ||
well as a current board member of the National Lipid Association | ||
Foundation and a former member of the American Heart Association | ||
Texas Legislative Advisory Board; and | ||
WHEREAS, By helping to promote education and screenings for | ||
FH in all Texans, advocates such as Wenter Blair Anderson are | ||
empowering more individuals to take important action to protect | ||
their health; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby encourage greater awareness of Familial | ||
Hypercholesterolemia (FH) and call on all Texans to learn more | ||
about this serious medical condition. |