Red Alert
A new campaign to raise awareness among women of how to protect themselves from the risk of heart disease and stroke begins this September led by the Irish Heart Foundation and supported by the Health Service Executive.

In 2008 nearly 5,000 Irish women died from heart disease and stroke but unfortunately, as in other countries, most women remain unaware of their risk of this major killer. In fact research shows that Irish women deem breast cancer to be a bigger health risk - 60% of those surveyed believe breast cancer is the biggest killer among women at 731 female deaths in 2008 compared to nearly seven times more deaths from heart disease and stroke in the same year.

Worryingly, only 18% of women correctly identified heart disease as the main cause of female death. Another cause of concern is that 37% of women also believed heart disease to be an exclusively 'male disease' even though just as many women die from it as men.

This September the Irish Heart Foundation aims to increase awareness of these issues using the international brand for heart disease and women - Go Red for Women. As the national charity fighting heart disease and stroke, our aim is to help women understand their risk of cardiovascular disease through a month-long awareness and educational campaign. 

The campaign will focus on specific issues for women including healthy lifestyle behaviours, recognition of signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke recognition of signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke and appropriate management of high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well as the impact of menopause on women’s heart health.  For further information contact the Irish Heart Foundation or log onto www.irishheart.ie/goredforwomen