COLUMBUS – During February, Ohioans are encouraged to learn more about heart disease and make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
February is American Heart Month and one of its highlights is Go Red Day, Friday, Feb. 3, when people are encouraged to wear red clothing to help raise awareness of cardiovascular disease share their red attire with the hashtag #GoRed.
This is the 15th year for Wear Red Day, which began as a way to draw special attention to heart disease among women, was once believed to be a “man’s disease” but which is an equal opportunity killer, taking the life of one out of three women in the U.S.
Another highlight of the month is the Go Red For Women Luncheon, Feb. 23, Hyatt Regency, 350 N. High St.
In an interview for Perspective, Dr. Dennis Flynn, a medical director with Molina Healthcare of Ohio, said that it is important to remember that symptoms of heart attacks and heart failure are different in women and men.
”Women have more of a tendency to have shortness of breath than pain. Men, more reliably, have chest pain,” he said.
Nearly 300 fewer women die from heart disease and stroke each day than before the Go Red movement began, Gina Henke with the American Heart Association in Cleveland, who says Heart Month is a good time for women to assess their lifestyles and current health.
“Does that mean I need to make appointments to find out what my cholesterol and blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI are? Does that mean I need to do a better job of being physically active. Does that mean that I need to find ways to lower stress so I feel healthier and whole? ” she said.
Cardiovascular disease is still the No. 1 killer of both men and women, blamed for one in four deaths nationally.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and quitting smoking can all help reduce one’s risk of heart disease and stroke.