American Heart Month is officially underway. In fact, today is the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Day. As a proud partner of the AHA, Bon Secours decided to celebrate with some of our tiniest patients.
Newborn babies at Bon Secours hospitals across Virginia joined the worthy cause by rocking the color red today. Bon Secours – St. Mary’s Hospital and Bon Secours – Memorial Regional Medical Center in Richmond, as well as Bon Secours – Mary Immaculate Hospital in Hampton Roads got in on the fun by donning their babies in red. What a bunch of cuties!
Go Red for Women Day occurs every February to raise awareness for heart health in women. According to the Office of Disease Prevention, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease every year which is a total of 647,000 annually.
Heart disease creates different symptoms in women than men that can often go undetected. Knowing the signs of heart disease could save your life or the life of someone you know.
For example, many women don’t have symptoms of heart disease until they experience a medical emergency, such as a heart attack. Although early symptoms are not always uncommon, they can include:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Pain in your upper abdomen
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Skin color change
- Shortness of breath
If the disease progresses, symptoms can escalate to:
- Swelling of the legs, feet, or ankles
- Weight gain
- Lightheadedness
- Indigestion
- Heartburn
If you are someone with diabetes, depression, HIV, high blood pressure or obesity, you may be at an even higher risk.
Some ways to prevent the disease are regularly checking your blood pressure, eating a healthy diet, managing stress levels, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight. Also, it is never too early to discuss heart health with your doctor. In fact, early prevention can make it less likely to develop heart disease in the future.
Take our free, online heart risk assessment today and learn more about your heart health.
