A very important event dedicated to women's health will take place in Iowa City this coming Friday. We're talking about the Go Red for Women celebration at the Sheraton Inn on December first.
Theresa Brennan, MD,
cardiologist with UI Heart and Vascular Center at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, offers these comments:
Why is Go Red for Women such an important opportunity for women to learn more about their heart health ?
This event is an important education opportunity for women to know:
- How to prevent heart disease
- Who's at risk for heart disease
- When it happens to them
- What they can identify as the symptoms so they can go to their doctor and get treated as soon as possible.
There are several myths about heart disease among women. One of the more common misconceptions is that heart disease occurs more frequently in men. Is this true?
The truth is actually that women develop heart disease later than men. Men tend to present with heart disease a bit earlier, but the reality is that ultimately more women have heart disease than men.
Can there be differences in what you see between men and women with heart disease?
The presenting time tends to be a little different, women tend to present a little later in life than men. But also things like the way they present. Men tend to have the classic symptoms, where we think about pain in the middle of the chest that may go to the arm, may be associated with breathing troubles, sweatiness, etc.
Women may present with those symptoms, but more commonly women present with symptoms that are a little unusual and not easy to identify as heart disease. And then there's the issue of how risk factors have impact on men and women. And the big one is diabetes. Women who have diabetes actually equalize their risk to men, so a woman with diabetes will have the same risk as a man her same age with all the same risk factors.
What steps do women need to take to protect their cardiovascular health?
The most important thing, I think, is to be educated and to understand that all women are at risk for heart disease and to try to prevent it. And then, ultimately, to know the symptoms of heart disease, and so to take care of themselves with a good diet; to exercise as regularly as possible; to see their physician on a regular basis, to make sure that their cholesterol is OK, that they either have diabetes and it's treated or they don't have diabetes, that their blood pressure is under good control; and then to know the symptoms of heart disease so that they can get prompt care and ultimately save their heart.
What is lined up for attendees at Go Red for Women?
It's actually a very fun event and includes a vendor fair and a silent auction that begins at 11 a.m. At noon, there's a luncheon that will feature a series of speakers, including Liz Mathis from KCRG who will emcee the luncheon and Dr. JoAnne Owens-Nausler who will talk about being active and healthy and living a good healthy lifestyle and I hear that she's quite great. Then I will talk a bit about women's heart health and what we can do about risk factors and maintaining good heart health.
How can people find out more information about Go Red for Women and purchase tickets if they wish?
Go Red for Women 2006
Friday, Dec. 1
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Registration begins at 11 a.m.
Luncheon begins at noon
Sheraton Inn
210 S. Dubuque St.
Iowa City, Iowa
Luncheon tickets $35
For tickets, call the American Heart Association 319-378-1763 or toll free at 888-619-7980.
2006 Presenting Sponsors are Siemens and UI Heart and Vascular Center |
