Feb. 4 is National Wear Red Day 2011: Go Red for Women

In the United States, the event is scheduled on the first Friday in February, each year. It's part of a campaign that begins American Heart Month. In the U.K., they have the same event, but it occurs on February 26 and is run by the British Heart Foundation. February is also National Heart Month for the BHF.

Despite the common belief that women are "protected" from heart disease by their hormones, at least through menopause, statistics show that cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women 20 years and older at a rate of one woman every minute. In fact, more women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including cancer. Additionally, since 1984, more women have died of heart disease than men, and 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, according to the Women's Heart Foundation.

National Wear Red Day 2011 part of campaign to highlight women's
symptoms
The campaign also works to inform women of the differences they may experience in terms of symptoms. The symptoms of a heart attack differ from men to women. Men generally show the classic symptoms most know about:L tightness in the chest or pain that radiates down the arm, according to Dr. Abdulla M. Abdulla of Cardiovascular Associates of Augusta, Georgia. For women, Abdulla said, "Only maybe 25 or 30 percent of women present with chest pain. They present with fatigue. They present with discomfort in the throat and the jaw. They're nauseated, they're short of breath."

Naturally, it's easy to support both the Go Red for Women campaign and National Wear Red Day 2011. Wear anything red: a blouse, a scarf, dress, a skirt. There is even a website set up by the campaign where you can "Shop Red." There you can find lapel pins, other jewelry, shirts, and still more.

Funds generated by the sales go to the fight against heart disease, of course, and you can wear your purchases, although it's probably just a little too late for National Wear Red Day 2011.

Although National Wear Red Day 2011 is part of the Go Red for Women campaign, men can support it too, and should as well. There's no reason why men can't wear a red hat or red short, or whatever to support the cause. After all, cardiovascular disease strikes men too, although the Go Red for Women campaign was started to educate women that they are not so protected against heart disease as they might think. Read more here at the following link:

http://www.huliq.com/3257/feb-4-national-wear-red-day-2011-aha