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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Epilepsy, a chronic disorder that is
3characterized by unprovoked and recurring seizures, is the
4fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of
5all ages; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Approximately one in 26 people will develop
7epilepsy at some point in their life; according to an August
82017 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
9at least 3.4 million people in the U.S. live with seizures,
10including 470,000 children; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The cause of epilepsy is unknown in half of those
12who will develop the disease; genetic testing, which could help
13identify the cause of epilepsy in some cases, is not yet
14available for many types of epilepsy; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Despite its prevalence, epilepsy is one of the
16least understood major, chronic medical conditions; and
 
17    WHEREAS, More people have epilepsy than cerebral palsy,
18multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease combined; epilepsy
19most commonly affects the very young and very old; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The mortality rate of those with epilepsy is up to

 

 

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1three times higher than the rate of the general population; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Epilepsy has a strong association with
3depression; more than one of every three persons with epilepsy
4will develop a mood disorder; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Thirty to 40% of those with epilepsy have seizures
6that will not respond to treatment or have medication that does
7not work well enough; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Epilepsy costs the nation $15.5 billion dollars in
9health care costs and losses in employment, wages, and
10productivity; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
13recognize November as being National Epilepsy Awareness Month
14and urge all to be aware of and become better educated about
15epilepsy.