ROANOKE, Va. – Feb. 7 is National Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness for cardiovascular disease—the number one killer of women in the U.S.
“It’s a disease of the heart and the blood vessels. So, anything that affects those areas is considered cardiovascular disease,” said Heartnet Clinical Coordinator Melanie Johnson.
Johnson said heart disease is included in cardiovascular disease.
She said the number one killer of all Americans is cardiovascular disease.
While heart disease affects both men and women, National Wear Red Day is about educating women about the signs and symptoms to look for in their lives.
Women’s symptoms can be different from men’s symptoms and can include tiredness, chest pain, upper abdominal pain, and shortness of breath.
She also said that women tend to have heart attacks or heart issues years later than men.
“Maybe seven to ten years later in life than men do,” said Johnson.
Younger women can also have cardiovascular diseases.
“We see a lot of younger women now. So, women need to really be aware of their risks. They need to listen to their body. If they have any of the signs or symptoms of a heart attack, you need to call 911 immediately,” said Johnson.
There are several things you can do for prevention.
Johnson said to try to manage your diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Also, eat healthy, exercise, and see your primary care doctor each year.
“You can walk around for a long time and not know that you have high blood pressure until it has done a lot of damage within your body. You need to know your cholesterol levels, and if you need help getting an exercise plan or a good diet, you can visit a dietitian. Your primary care doctor can help loop you into that,” said Johson.
Some services at Carilion that can help include the cardiac rehab program and the Carilion Wellness, which can help you manage your diet and exercise. There is also HeartNet of the Virginias, which assists with cardiovascular transfers into Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Carilion sees roughly 700 heart attacks each year.
10 News asked Johnson what the numbers look like in Southwest Virginia.
“Overall, for both men and women in Southwest Virginia, we kind of have a large spread of areas that have a higher rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease. So far, Southwest Virginia has the highest rate in the whole state of Virginia, very far southwest. In the Roanoke Valley area, it’s a little bit lower but still, you’re higher than northern Virginia let’s say,” said Johnson.
Here’s what the number of hospitalizations looks like in the Commonwealth for both men and women, according to its latest data in 2023.
In Virginia, 218,437 women were hospitalized for cardiovascular disease in 2023, according to the Virginia Department of Health. In the Southwest Region, 41,674 women were hospitalized in 2023. The Southwest region includes Alleghany, Roanoke City, New River, Pittsylvania, West Piedmont, Central Virginia, Mount Rogers, Cumberland Plateau and Lenowisco.
In 2023, 216,430 men were hospitalized for cardiovascular disease, according to the state’s health department. In the Southwest region, according to the Virginia Department of Health, 39,878 men were hospitalized in 2023. Again, the Southwest region includes Alleghany, Roanoke City, New River, Pittsylvania, West Piedmont, Central Virginia, Mount Rogers, Cumberland Plateau, and Lenowisco.
During National Wear Red Day Johnson said this is her number one piece of advice for women.
“Listen to the symptoms, don’t dismiss them, seek treatment right away. If these symptoms come on and last for five minutes, call 911 immediately, please don’t delay. Women tend to take care of everyone else, their family, their children, everyone but you need to take care of yourself,” said Johnson.
