Women's Only : Heart to heart

Ladies : Take these symptoms to heart

Very few women fear heart disease, despite the fact that the condition claims more lives than breast cancer does. To make matters worse, women's symptoms are also often atypical - a situation that can even confuse their doctors.

Take action:
Be aware of these signs of a heart attack (which are very specific to women) and seek help immediately:

* Jaw pain
* Shoulder pain
* Anxiety
* Sweating
* Shortness of breath
* Dizziness; nausea
* Unusual fatigue

Fight heart disease among women
Created: Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Worldwide, heart disease causes 8.6 million deaths among women annually. It is the largest single cause of mortality among women, accounting for a third of all deaths in women worldwide.

In South Africa, heart disease remains one of the major killers as one in four women before the age of 60 will have some form of heart condition. Another factor that adds to this statistic is that women also show the biggest increase in obesity, which heightens the situation.

It is with this in mind that the Heart and Stroke Foundation AS has launched the Go Red for Women campaign to wake up the women of South Africa.

“It’s a lifestyle disease. Today’s woman has to make time for her work and family, often leaving little time to worry about herself. We want to make women aware of the risks of heart disease now – while they still have time to change their lives,” says Hugo Coetzee, Marketing Manager at the Heart and Stroke Foundation AS.

With these alarming heart facts in mind, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has launched the Go Red for Women movement. This international movement celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together and wipe out heart disease.

The primary message driving the Go Red for Women campaign is simple: heart disease kills women. The campaign pairs this message with an interesting visual image – the red dress – as an international symbol for women and heart disease.

The campaign provides women with tips and information on healthy eating, exercise and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control, and blood cholesterol management.

For more information on Go Red for Women, visit www.goredforwomen.co.za.

- (The Heart and Stroke Foundation AS, June 2007)