Stories With HeartWear Red on Feb 13th to Support Women's Heart Health
Posted on: Feb 11, 2021Cardiovascular diseases in women are under-studied, under-diagnosed, and under-treated, but largely preventable. Please join us in wearing red Saturday, February 13th for Wear Red Canada Day, a national event to raise awareness for women’s heart health.
The left arm numbness, the chest-clutching pain, the panic-stricken eyes.
This is how heart attacks are often portrayed in Hollywood, but this is dangerously misleading.
The truth is, heart attack symptoms go unrecognized in 53% of women, according to the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre.
“The classic clutching of the chest we all think of is a male-dominated presentation.” said one patient with a rare heart condition. “For many women, that’s not how a heart attack presents. It can start by feeling indigestion or stomach pain, or even just fatigue is far more typical.”
Globally, one in three women are affected by cardiovascular diseases. Here at home, heart disease is the leading cause of hospitalization and premature death for women in Canada. This is likely due in part to these misconceptions or lack of understanding.
To raise awareness and better educate the public on the many complexities surrounding women’s heart health, the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance—with funding from the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre—proudly hosts Wear Red Canada Day every February 13th, right in the middle of Heart Month.
Click here to learn more about Wear Red Canada Day
“Wear Red Canada” events are held all across the country and serve as a reminder for all Canadians—but especially Canadian women—to be mindful, curious, and proactive in the management of our heart health and wellness.
Encouraging this mindset is hugely important because, fortunately, heart disease is largely preventable: 80% of individual risk factors for women are within one’s control, able to be modified or addressed.
However, beyond the typical risk factors such as smoking and obesity, there are many risk factors only women experience that can increase a woman’s risk of future cardiovascular disease. These factors include gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, premature birth, and premature menopause.
Learn more about risk factors for women here
When it comes to heart health, women everywhere are under-studied, under-diagnosed, under-treated, and under-aware. We need more events like Wear Red Canada Day to raise awareness and generate much-needed funding for additional research.
Please join us in participating in Wear Red Canada Day by simply wearing red on Saturday, February 13th!
Feel free to show your support by sharing a photo of yourself wearing red via social media using the hashtags #HERHEARTMATTERS and #WEARREDCANADA.
To show your support for women's heart health research, please consider a donation:
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