Barbara Mikulski: “I rise today with Senator Cornyn to introduce the ``Pulmonary Hypertension Research Act of 2005.'' This important…”

“I rise today with Senator Cornyn to introduce the ``Pulmonary Hypertension Research Act of 2005.'' This important legislation increases funding for medical research dedicated to finding treatments and possibly a cure for Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), and would establish Centers of Excellence that would be charged with educating health professionals and the public about the disease. PH is a serious, often fatal condition. It is estimated that more than 100,000 Americans suffer from pulmonary hypertension. It does not discriminate based on race, gender or age. However, women are more than twice as likely as men to develop the condition. PH is characterized by dangerously high blood pressure in the lungs. In PH patients, the walls of the arteries that take blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs thicken so much that they restrict the flow of blood. The Pulmonary Hypertension Research Act would do three things: First, it expands PH research at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the NIH, authorizing $250 million over five years to fund PH research. Additional funding would help researchers further understand PH and develop new treatment options for the illness. Second, the legislation would establish ``Centers of Excellence'' which would focus on PH research and education efforts for both health professionals and the general public. One of the greatest tragedies of PH is that it often goes undiagnosed.…”