Women’s heart health focus of ‘Go Red for Women’

Leas is the Women Veteran’s Program Manager at the U.S. Government Veterans Medical Center, where she helped take part in the Heart Health Fair & Go Red for Women Expo earlier today.

Senators Hirono and Murkowski led women Senators in observing National Wear Red Day, which brings attention to the importance of women’s heart health. “There are often no signs and symptoms of high blood pressure, but it is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke”. People are encouraged to “Go Red for Women” on February 3 by wearing red to promote awareness of the leading cause of death among women: heart disease.

Data shows more women than men die of heart disease, though that gap is closing.

Heart attack symptoms can be hard to recognize in women, and can include chest pain as well as shortness of breath, back pain, jaw pain, and nausea.

Believe it or not, 95 percent of adult women have at least one risk factor for heart disease-and nearly half of women are not aware of the risks. And 90 percent of women have at least one risk factor.

While American Heart Month is a federally designated month in the United States, it’s important to realize that cardiovascular disease knows no borders.

On the good side, 80 percent of cardiac and stroke episodes may be avoided with education.

And the little hat is something Samantha Stevens says she’ll keep for Esther as a reminder of her first few days.

For Taylor-Lindholm, being heart healthy means no caffeine, less salt and exercising regularly, but even people without a predisposition can afford to be more aware, she said. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. If you can keep all of them in a normal range, then your chances of getting heart disease are pretty low.

We’re not telling you anything that you don’t already know, of course, but sometimes our best intentions get lost in the bustle of everyday life.