IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 245 
Recognizing the significance of Sjo¨gren’s disease as a serious and systemic 
autoimmune disease and expressing support for the designation of April 
2025 as ‘‘Sjo¨gren’s Awareness Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 24, 2025 
Mr. MORELLE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the significance of Sjo¨gren’s disease as a serious 
and systemic autoimmune disease and expressing support 
for the designation of April 2025 as ‘‘Sjo¨gren’s Aware-
ness Month’’. 
Whereas up to 4,000,000 adults in the United States are liv-
ing with Sjo¨gren’s disease (Sjo¨gren’s); 
Whereas Sjo¨gren’s is a systemic autoimmune disease that af-
fects the entire body; 
Whereas the characteristic symptoms of Sjo¨gren’s include 
profound fatigue, extensive dryness throughout the body 
(including the eyes, mouth, esophagus, sinuses, skin, and 
genitals), and pain; 
Whereas complications from Sjo¨gren’s include chronic pain, 
major organ involvement, neuropathies, cognitive dys-
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•HRES 245 IH 
function, gastrointestinal dysfunction, interstitial cystitis, 
lymphomas, and, in babies whose mothers have Sjo¨gren’s, 
fetal heartblock ; 
Whereas the average age for a diagnosis of Sjo¨gren’s is cur-
rently between the ages of 45 and 55, although Sjo¨gren’s 
can affect individuals of all ages; 
Whereas the ratio of women to men living with a Sjo¨gren’s 
diagnosis is approximately 9 to 1; 
Whereas the cause of Sjo¨gren’s is not known, and there is 
no single test to diagnose the autoimmune disease; 
Whereas individuals living with Sjo¨gren’s must bear high out- 
of-pocket costs in order to afford medications to control 
inflammation and dryness, relieve joint, muscle, and 
nerve pain, reduce acid reflux due to limited saliva pro-
duction, and treat the devastating complications of oral, 
ocular, and other dryness; 
Whereas rheumatologists primarily treat individuals with 
Sjo¨gren’s, but a wide variety of other specialists are also 
involved with the treatment of Sjo¨gren’s, including den-
tists, neurologists, ocular specialists, otolaryngologists, 
gastroenterologists, nephrologists, and pulmonologists; 
Whereas Sjo¨gren’s is often difficult to diagnose and, since 
many health care providers are unfamiliar with the dis-
ease, additional training is essential to ensure patients 
receive accurate and timely diagnoses; 
Whereas the physical and psychological impact of Sjo¨gren’s 
can severely affect an individual’s duties at home and in 
the workplace; 
Whereas there is a need to update the nomenclature to clas-
sify Sjo¨gren’s as a disease, including by the Federal Gov-
ernment; 
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•HRES 245 IH 
Whereas there is a need for more research to understand the 
pathology that leads to the autoimmune attack in 
Sjo¨gren’s, including the role of the interplay of the im-
mune and nervous systems; 
Whereas clinical trials are underway to test the efficacy of 
targeted therapies that will address the cause of 
Sjo¨gren’s, and research is underway to identify genes and 
environmental influences that may contribute to under-
standing who is susceptible to Sjo¨gren’s; and 
Whereas more research is needed to identify new therapies 
and clear biomarkers to help individuals with Sjo¨gren’s 
manage the symptoms and complications as they age: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes Sjo¨gren’s disease as a serious 
health issue that causes a significant health burden; 
(2) encourages the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services and the heads of other relevant 
agencies— 
(A) to expand, enhance, and increase re-
search of Sjo¨gren’s disease and identify new 
areas of research through the Office of Auto-
immune Disease Research; 
(B) to improve the understanding of the 
causes of Sjo¨gren’s disease and identify bio-
markers that will help with patient stratifica-
tion and diagnosis, disease management, and 
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development of targeted therapies for Sjo¨gren’s 
patients; 
(C) to better quantify and regularly track 
the number of Sjo¨gren’s patients, as many indi-
viduals are believed to be undiagnosed or are 
misdiagnosed, such as those that have Sjo¨gren’s 
disease and another autoimmune disease; 
(D) to update literature on Sjo¨gren’s dis-
ease and disseminate such literature to health 
providers to increase awareness and accurate 
knowledge about the disease; and 
(E) to build awareness of Sjo¨gren’s disease 
among physicians and communities in under-
served areas so that patients with Sjo¨gren’s dis-
ease are diagnosed correctly and obtain the care 
they need; and 
(3) expresses support for the designation of 
‘‘Sjo¨gren’s Awareness Month’’. 
Æ 
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