February is American Heart Month, and OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center and OSF Center for Health - Streator is proud join forces with The American Heart Association and its Go Red for Women movement. Go Red for Women is designed to spread awareness about heart disease and stroke in women through outreach and education.
To help spread awareness, Friday, February 7 is National Wear Red Day. People are encouraged to wear red, decorate their homes and offices in red, and to encourage others to make a change to improve their heart health.
More women die of heart disease and stroke than men. In fact, it remains the number one killer of women, taking one in three lives each year.
According to the AHA, chest pain is often not a symptom for women. Sixty-four percent of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
Because these symptoms vary greatly between men and women, they are often misunderstood. While a telltale sign of a heart attack could be extreme chest pain, women are somewhat more likely to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Other symptoms women should look out for are dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, and extreme fatigue.
Take action and take better care of your heart today! Learn more about heart disease risk factors by clicking here.