| **ClosingRemarks**

**Susan J.Blumenthal, MD, MPADeputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Women’s Health)Assistant Surgeon GeneralU.S. Department of Health and Human Services*****Healthy Woman 2000*****Series Director**

Autoimmune illnesses are thefourth leading causes of disability in women– aconstellation of more that 80 illnesses that affect women 4 timesas often as men. At this conference we heard from ourcountry’s top experts on these diseases: disorders such asmultiple sclerosis, Sjogren’s disease, lupus, scleroderma,rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes. The presentations wereboth informative and thought provoking. We learned that amultiplicity of factors are thought to contribute toautoimmunity, including genetic factors, hormones, viruses, somedrugs, and certain chemicals in the environment. Withoutquestion, these illnesses take a devastating human and economictoll on those affected.

The program also revealed just howmuch we have yet to learn about these illnesses. Understudied,misdiagnosed and often mistreated, autoimmune disorders, in manyways, are sentinels of the historic neglect of women’shealth issues. The good news, however, is that today thanks toour new national focus on women’s health and the financialmuscle that the Clinton Administration and the Congress have putbehind our efforts to improve women’s health, we haveintensified research efforts to open up the windows onunderstanding about autoimmune disorders, illuminating themysteries that have surrounded them in the past. 

The goal of this conference was toshine a national spotlight on autoimmune diseases, to increaseawareness in our country about these diseases. Thanks to theinformative presentations today, I believe we have accomplishedour goal.

I want to take this opportunity toexpress our gratitude to all the distinguished speakers andco-sponsoring organizations. Special thanks are due to TevaMarion, for their educational grant to the national MultipleSclerosis Society that helped make this conference and monographpossible. My deep appreciation to the National Multiple SclerosisSociety and the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers incollaboration with the Congressional Caucus on Women’sIssues, the Lupus Foundation of America, the Scleroderma ResearchFoundation, and the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation for theirco-sponsorship of this meeting and their leadership in the fightagainst these diseases

In closing let me remind you of anancient proverb that says, "He…"—lets alsomake that she -– "who has health has hope and she whohas hope has everything." That’s what our new nationalfocus on women’s health and the important work of ourpanelists and co-sponsoring organizations are all about: bringinghope for a healthier future– a future free of the threat ofautoimmune diseases– to all American women.

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