Annie Lovell
January 28, 2008January 30
January 30, 2008
The Tri-parishes will “Go Red for Women” Feb. 1 in support of the American Heart Association’s movement.
“Red is the symbol for women and heart disease,” said association spokesperson Kim Landry. “Wearing red on Feb. 1 will help raise awareness that heart disease takes the lives of more than 460,000 women a year. Wearing red is a simple way to join in the movement.”
According to Landry, making America aware of the effects of heart disease is not just a job – it’s a passion.
“I’ve seen firsthand of what heart disease can do to a person. I lost both my grandmothers,” she said.
Her maternal grandmother died from sudden cardiac arrest before research advances were available. However, her paternal grandmother lived four years longer than expected with the help of medical advancements in cardiovascular education.
“Right now, I have an aunt who has experienced the same benefits through AHA as my paternal grandmother and she continues to live her life and enjoy her family,” Landry said.
Heart disease is the number one killer among women. One in two women will die from heart disease, where as one in 25 will die from breast cancer, said Dr. Jody Stagg of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South.
“More than 250,000 women die annually from coronary artery disease (CAD) and more than 500,000 die from CAD, stroke, hypertensive vascular disease and peripheral vascular disease,” he said. “Women account for 53.2 percent of all cardiovascular disease deaths.”
Studies show that women develop CAD at an older age than men. Stagg said estrogen protects women, so the risk of CAD is relatively low pre-menopause and goes up to men’s levels post-menopause.
Sometimes women with CAD are misdiagnosed. Stagg said women generally have different symptoms than men. Rather than typical chest pain, they are more likely to have signs of shortness of breath, neck, jaw or back pain. Often, women’s pain is dismissed as nerves or a lesser problem, he said.
Wear Red for Women was started in 2004. Landry said companies across the Tri-parish area will participate in National Wear Red Day for Women, an event designed to empower women to reduce their risk of heart disease.
“Thousands of individuals, including employees at more than 4,500 companies, national and local, will wear red,” she said. “Major landmarks and national monuments will be illuminated in red lights bringing additional awareness to the day.”
The AHA has seen a steady increase in participation locally, Landry said. At many companies, employees donate $5 to take part in their company’s Wear Red Day.
“They buy the right to wear jeans (if appropriate) and red to work. They feel good because they’re supporting the fight against cardiovascular disease and stroke,” Landry said.
The money raised from the event will be used for research and patient education to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease and stroke in women. “Your contribution to AHA helps us conduct vital research and develop treatments that can help women live longer, healthier lives,” Landry said.
Medical facilities like CIS, Terrebonne General Medical Center, Thibodaux Regional Medical Center and others have developed programs to educate local businesses by conducting screenings for their employees.
“More research needs to be done to further the investigation of health differences and disparities in the care of women,” Landry explained.
Anyone interested in participating, can contact Landry by e-mail at kim.landry@heart.org or phone at (225) 248-7722.
Landry said the official Go Red for Women red dress pin, which is its national symbol of the cause, is available for free on the association’s Web site at www.americanheart.org.
Dr. Jody Stagg, a cardiologist with the Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Houma, takes a medical history from patient Mary Ann Blanchard. According to Stagg, one in two women will die from heart disease, accounting for 53.2 percent of all cardiovascular disease deaths. * Photo courtesy of CARDIOVASCULAR INSTITUTE OF THE SOUTH
