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 National
Wear Red Day on Feb. 6 is
an observance of "Go Red for Women," an American
Heart Association movement to bring greater awareness of heart
disease to females.
"The biggest myth that needs to be changed is
that most women believe that breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of
women in America," says Shannan J. Stuhmer, RN and coordinator of
cardiac rehabilitation at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. "It's
really heart disease, and it actually kills at a rate six times
greater than breast cancer, according to Mayo Clinic."
Men and women may detect signs of heart disease
as squeezing or heaviness in the chest, sweating, shortness of
breath, and radiating pain in the arms and neck. Additional signs
women may have include nausea, upper back or shoulder pain,
dizziness, or unexplained fatigue.
"We know that
diagnosis of coronary heart disease in women is often delayed,
especially when compared with their male counterparts," said
Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., spokeswoman for the American Heart
Association's Go Red For Women campaign and director of nuclear
cardiology at New York University. "In an emergency situation,
symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest tightness are often
viewed as psychogenic, rather than of cardiac origin.
"Women must be
actively engaged in their health, listen to their bodies and insist
on a thorough evaluation of critical heart health factors."
Both men and women
with high cholesterol, obesity and hypertension are at risk of
developing heart disease. When it comes to additional risks of
stress, smoking and metabolic syndrome, Stuhmer says women are more
susceptible than men.
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Lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk of heart disease, adds
Stuhmer. Exercise 30 to 40 minutes three to five days a week,
maintain a healthy weight, eat a diet low in saturated fat and
cholesterol, and quit smoking.
"Do your part to take care of your heart ... and
don't forget to take care of yourself, too," Stuhmer says.
During the month of February, to recognize the importance of heart health,
the H.O.P.E. Mobile is offering patients free total cholesterol
screenings in addition to free blood pressure checks and a packet of
information on heart disease. To look
up the H.O.P.E. Mobile schedule, go to
www.healthycommunitiespartnership.org.
The H.O.P.E. Mobile is a component of the Healthy
Communities Partnership, a collaborative organization comprised of
dozens of community agencies. It is supported in part by the
Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation.
[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]
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