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Let's Go Red for Women!

By Adam Pick on February 1, 2019

If you didn't know, American Heart Month kicked off today. To get things going, February 1 is always National Wear Red Day in support of the "Go Red for Women" campaign. The goal of this awesome day is to raise awareness to heart disease and unite communities that are fighting for the eradication of heart disease and stroke.

Adam Pick holding a "Go Red for Women" sign

That said, I couldn't resist putting on the one red thing I own in support of the "Go Red for Women" initiative.

Heart Disease & Women

As shared at the Go Red For Women website by the American Heart Association (AHA), here are some important facts about heart disease and women that will help educate our patient community about this epidemic:

Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year.
Some of the symptoms of heart attack include chest pressure, pain in one of both arms, back, jaw or stomach.
Some of the symptoms of stroke include numbness or weakness in the face, confusion, trouble seeing, trouble walking and severe headache.
Other concerns that may appear specific to heart disease include heart attack, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

As the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) notes on its Women and Heart Disease Fact Sheet:

Risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol and smoking. About 49% of the American population have at least one of these risk factors.
Other medical conditions that can put people at higher risk include diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and stress.
Coronary artery disease has unique cultural implications for white women (5.8%), African-American women (7.6%) and Mexican American women (5.6%).
Up to 64% of women who die suddenly from coronary artery disease have no previous symptoms. Yikes!

Ready to Get Involved?

I was happy to see that I'm not the only one getting red in our community. I just saw that Alina posted this picture. She says, "This is all the red I could find: Happy National Wear Red Day to all! This is a day for heart health awareness for women in particular, but awareness is always good for all! Happy Heart Month to all, too!"

Female heart surgery patient wearing red on "Go Red for Women" day

And here's Phil...

Male heart surgery patient wearing red shirt and holding red pillow on "Go Red for Women" day

And here's Lisa...

Heart surgery patient showing incision scar on "Go Red for Women" day

If you are interested to get involved on this special day, there are lots of opportunities. Simply click here to learn more from the Americann Heart Association.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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