Wear red and help to stop heart disease

THIS February is REDFEB – heart awareness month.

As well as encouraging people to wear red and donate, Heart Research Australia is promoting new resources that highlight the differences in heart disease symptoms, prevention and management for both men and women.

Heart disease is Australia’s single biggest cause of death, killing an Australian every 30 minutes. While more men die from heart disease than women, it is still one of the leading causes of death in Australian women. Many aspects of its prevention, treatment and management are also unique to women.

“Despite heart disease being a leading cause of death in women, only one in five Australian women are aware of this,” Heart Research Australia chief executive officer Nicci Dent said.

“This highlights a huge gap in understanding and the need to raise awareness about the different symptoms and risks for women. Many women dismiss early warning signs because they think heart disease mainly affects older men.”

Cardiologist Dr Ashleigh Dind said many of the symptoms women experienced may not be recognised as heart disease, which increased the likelihood of a missed diagnosis.

“Although men suffering from a heart attack typically describe chest pain or discomfort, women are more likely to have non-chest pain symptoms such as shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue and indigestion, and frequently with worse consequences.”

Physicians are also more likely to underestimate heart disease risk in women and this can influence their diagnosis and treatment.

Research finds that younger women aged under 55 with acute coronary syndrome (heart attacks and/or angina) are more likely to be misdiagnosed and discharged from emergency departments than men.

“Professor Gemma Figtree’s latest research, partially funded by Heart Research Australia, showed women who had a heart attack with no modifiable risk factors had a mortality rate three times that of men with at least one risk factor,” Ms Dent said.

“Although more men than women are admitted to hospital experiencing a heart attack, the number of deaths are the same and heart disease kills more than two times as many Australian women than breast cancer.

“Awareness is critical so that women can advocate for their own health.”
REDFEB aims to raise awareness for heart disease and funds for research.

This February, Heart Research Australia is promoting new resources that highlight the differences in heart disease symptoms, prevention and management for both men and women.

The new resources include two educational videos and a free wallet card outlining the different signs and symptoms of a heart attack for both men and women, plus a “Heart Attack Action Plan” should the situation arise.

“The new resources are free to all Australians, but any financial support towards our life saving research will be gratefully received. The simple fact is that research saves lives, which is why Heart Research Australia funds world-class and emerging researchers to conduct ground-breaking research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease,” Ms Dent said.

For more information or to donate, head to the Heart Research Australia website.