MICHIGAN SENATE
Offered by Senators VanderWall, Bayer, Bullock and Chang
A RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE NOVEMBER 14-20, 2021, AS THYROID EYE DISEASE (TED) AWARENESS WEEK
WHEREAS, The National Institute of Health (NIH) defines a rare disease as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Today, there are approximately 7,000 rare diseases impacting almost 30 million Americans; and
WHEREAS, Thyroid eye disease, also known as TED, is both a serious, progressive and rare autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy muscle and fat tissue behind the eye, causing inflammation and scar tissue to form; and
WHEREAS, People with TED often have debilitating symptoms of eye bulging, double vision, blurred vision, pain, facial disfigurement and, in severe cases, blindness; and
WHEREAS, People living with TED often face long-term functional, psychosocial, and economic burdens, including the inability to work or perform the activities of daily living; and
WHEREAS, The exact underlying process by which TED occurs is not fully understood.
TED is a serious, vision-threatening condition that can get worse over time; and
WHEREAS, TED is estimated to have a prevalence of 16 per 100,000 women, and
2.9 per 100,000 men in the general population; and
WHEREAS, A diagnosis of TED is based upon identification of characteristic symptoms, a detailed patient history, a thorough clinical evaluation, and a variety of specialized tests; and
WHEREAS, Since there is also a genetic component to the condition, people who have a family member with the disease or a family member with an autoimmune disease are at a greater risk of developing TED; and
WHEREAS, TED Awareness Week was established through a collaboration of advocacy organizations including the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc (AARDA) and Prevent Blindness; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body recognize November 14-20, 2021, as Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) Awareness Week; and be it further
Resolved, That Michigan, along with AARDA and Prevent Blindness, continue to engage in disease awareness and patient support for TED.
Adopted by the Senate, November 10, 2021.
Secretary of the Senate