LAS VEGAS (KLAS)– The Women’s Heart Alliance and Women-heart are launching a national campaign to encourage women to get their hearts checked.
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. But over the past decade, awareness of it has declined. Many women don’t realize the threat or know the signs.
CEO Celina Gorre of Women-heart is concerned about rising rates in young women, especially women of color.
“First thing to do is check your blood pressure know what that is know what normal is for you. So that when you see variations you know that something is not quite right,” Gorre said.
With so many worried about COVID, it is often overlooking the bigger threat and killer of women. The campaign urges them to schedule their screening as things may look different for men than they do for women.
“Indigestion nausea unexplained and extreme fatigue and weakness,” Gorre added. “These are symptoms that we see more often in women & it’s really for us to dismiss those symptoms because they are so generalized.”
Unique symptoms like jaw pain and backache are also highlighted in the public service announcement.
Other risk factors are autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis and early onset menopause or having undergone cancer treatment.
Women’s heart is the nation’s only patient-centered group dedicated solely to serving women living with or at risk for heart disease.