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2007-9-3 17:20:27 |
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Today, February 2, 2007 is the fifth national Wear Red Day, a day when Americans nationwide are encouraged to wear red to show their support for women's heart disease awareness, according to National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). In addition to the NHLBI, the national awareness campaign for women about heart disease also involves Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Women Heart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease; American Heart Association; and many other groups. The simple message the campaign wants to deliver is that heart disease is the leading cause of deaths in women, and it kills more than all other five major diseases combined. The wear red day is intended to raise the public's awareness about the risk of heart disease in women. The heart disease is not something that occurs to older women only. Heart disease may attack young women without prior notice. A story published on the NHLBI website says a woman well-shaped dietitian who apparently followed a healthy lifestyle and ate healthy food and did physical exercise got a heart attack at age 49, which affected 50 percent of her heart function. The government is serious about the threat of heart disease imposed on women. First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush has served as the national Ambassador for the so called The Heart Truth campaign since 2003, leading the federal government's effort's to give American women a personal and urgent wake up call about their risk of heart disease. Why bother to wear red on this Friday? The reason is that women are at a higher risk of death from heart disease than men. Women receive 33 % of all angioplasties, stent and bypass surgeries, 29 % of implantable defibrillators, and 36 % of open-heart surgeries, according to the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Because of these, only 62 percent of women survive a first heart attack compared to 75 percent for men. Although women are more likely to die of heart disease, the majority of studies on heart disease focused on men. Only 25 percent of study subjects were women in previous studies, suggesting that the government needs to invest more on studies that aim to study heart disease in women. So far, the wear red day campaign has been working pretty well. It has drastically raised the awareness among women for the heart disease. A 2005 survey from the American Heart Association shows that more women are getting the message that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. According to the survey, 55 percent of American women know that heart disease is the leading killer of women, up from 34 percent in 2000. Although awareness has increased among African American and Hispanic women, these groups¡ªwho are at higher risk of heart disease than white women¡ªcontinue to have lower rates of awareness. In 2000, awareness that heart disease is women¡¯s leading cause of death was 38 percent for white women, 18 percent for African American women, and 26 percent for Hispanic Women. In 2005, awareness had increased to 62 percent for white women, 38 percent for African American women, and 34 percent for Hispanic women. So what is heart disease anyway? That sounds like a simple question, but NHLBI says that many women do not know much about the disease and its risk. Heart disease refers often times to coronary heart disease, which is the most common form of heart disease. "It is a disorder of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to heart attack. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart." according to the federal health agency. Heart disease is a lifelong condition¡ªonce you get it, you'll always have it. True, procedures such as bypass surgery and angioplasty can help blood and oxygen flow to the heart more easily. But the arteries remain damaged, which means you are more likely to have a heart attack. What's more, the condition of your blood vessels will steadily worsen unless you make changes in your daily habits. Many women die of complications from heart disease, or become permanently disabled. That's why it is so vital to take action to prevent and control this disease. Now what are the risk factors for heart disease? Risk factors for heart disease, according to the NHLBI, include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, being overweight, being physically inactive, having a family history of early heart disease, and age. Now what can you do about it to prevent or get the heart disease under control? There are not too many things women should do to reduce the risk of heart disease. Only one thing women need to do is follow a healthy lifestyle. That includes being physical active, quitting smoking, avoiding environmental pollution and using a healthy diet without Trans fat. There is a secret that most women and men either may not know. That is, according to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a prominent nutritionist from Cornell University, reducing consumption of meat and dairy products can reduce risk of heart disease drastically or even reverse the disease. From a nutrition point view, completely avoiding such food is possible, but the problem is how many women may adopt such a dietary habit? Women who suspect they have already developed some heart disease may watch if they have the following symptoms: chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, and shortness of breath and possibly nausea, light-headedness or breaking out in a cold sweat. These are the signs for heart attack. If you or a friend of yours may be having a heart attack, you must act quickly to prevent disability or death. Acknowledgement: Part of the content in the article comes from the U.S. government agencies. |
