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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Medical experts warn that diabetes dramatically |
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increases the risk of heart disease; and |
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WHEREAS, More than 29 million Americans are affected with |
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diabetes, the nation's seventh-leading cause of death; in type 1 |
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diabetes, the body fails to produce sufficient insulin, while in |
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the vastly more common type 2 diabetes, the body cannot use insulin |
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properly; both forms of the illness can cause spikes in blood sugar |
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that can eventually damage nerves and blood vessels, resulting in a |
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higher risk of heart disease and stroke; moreover, people with |
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diabetes often have a number of other risk factors, among them |
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excess weight, inactive lifestyles, high blood pressure, and high |
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cholesterol; and |
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WHEREAS, According to the Cleveland Clinic, diabetes |
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patients are up to four times as likely as members of the general |
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population to develop cardiovascular disease; the American |
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Diabetes Association has reported that women with diabetes are |
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twice as likely to experience a second heart attack and four times |
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as likely to suffer heart failure; moreover, a study by the National |
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Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found that the risk of developing |
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hypertension, a major contributor to heart disease, doubles for men |
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and quadruples for women with diabetes; women with type 1 diabetes |
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face an exceptionally high danger of death from heart disease; and |
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WHEREAS, The nation's total health care costs for treatment |
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of diabetes are estimated at $245 billion annually; more than a |
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quarter of those costs are attributable to cardiovascular disease; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, By addressing their risk factors, patients with |
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diabetes may avoid or delay the development of heart and blood |
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vessel disease; important measures include exercise, good |
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nutrition, smoking cessation, blood pressure control, lowering |
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cholesterol, and management of blood sugar and stress; and |
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WHEREAS, Medical professionals across the country are |
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working to improve health outcomes and save lives by helping |
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Americans gain greater understanding of the close connection |
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between diabetes and cardiovascular disease; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize November 2017 as Diabetes and |
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Cardiovascular Disease Awareness Month and encourage all Texans to |
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learn more about the ways to reduce their risk factors. |