photo by Suat Eman

I spoke to a patient recently who asked “…so are you going to red this Friday?” This may sound like an unusual question, but we were talking about heart disease and its effects on her and her husband. Although her husband had his high cholesterol and high blood pressure under control, she on the other hand, had not been aware of her heart disease until her heart attack. It was a wake-up call that heart disease does not always have symptoms to warn you of a problem. She told me, “I didn’t even know I was sick. I didn’t have any chest pains or anything. I just thought I had heart burn because of the spicy foods I was eating”.

This Friday, Feburary 5th, is National Wear Red Day^®. This national campaign helps to spread the message that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States today. It’s important to know the risk factors of heart disease. These include:

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• diabetes
• smoking
• being overweight
• not being physically active
• family history of heart disease
• age over 55 for women

Making lifestyle changes with diet and exercise along with taking medicines can be a challenge, but the benefits are worth it. If you or a loved one you know have heart disease, review some information that can help.

My patient is doing well and has made herself more knowledgeable about heart disease and its effects, especially on women. It’s good that we all know and share with others. So let’s not forget: Wear Red!

^®National Wear Red Day is a registered trademark of HHS and AHA.