This February is REDFEB, heart awareness month. In addition to encouraging people to wear red and donate, Heart Research Australia is promoting new resources that highlight the differences in heart disease symptoms, prevention and management for both men and women.

 

o   Heart disease is one of the biggest killers of women in Australia

o   4 out of 5 Australian women do not realise heart disease is a leading cause of death

o   Heart attack warning signs can differ between women and men

o   Physicians are more likely to underestimate heart disease risk in women

o   Menopause reduces women’s natural protection against heart disease

 

Heart disease is Australia’s single biggest cause of death, killing an Australian every 30 minutes (*). While more men die from heart disease than women, it is still one of the leading causes of death in Australian women (*). Moreover, aspects of its prevention, treatment and management are unique to women.

 

“Despite heart disease being a leading cause of death in women, only one in five Australian women are aware of this (#)” says Nicci Dent, CEO of Heart Research Australia. “This highlights a huge gap in understanding and the need to raise awareness about the different symptoms and risks for women. Many women dismiss early warning signs because they think heart disease mainly affects older men.”

 

Cardiologist Dr Ashleigh Dind says “Many of the symptoms women experience may not be recognised as heart disease, thus increasing the likelihood of a missed diagnosis. Although men suffering from a heart attack typically describe chest pain or discomfort, women are more likely to have non-chest pain symptoms such as shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue and indigestion, and frequently with worse consequences.”

 

Physicians are also more likely to underestimate heart disease risk in women and this can influence their diagnosis and treatment. Research finds that younger women aged under 55 with acute coronary syndrome (heart attacks and/or angina) are more likely to be misdiagnosed and discharged from emergency departments than men#

 

“Awareness is critical so that women can advocate for their own health. Professor Gemma Figtree’s latest research partially funded by Heart Research Australia, showed women who had a heart attack with no modifiable risk factors had a mortality rate 3 times that of men with at least one risk factor. Although more men than women are admitted to hospital experiencing a heart attack, the number of deaths are the same and heart disease kills more than two times as many Australian women than breast cancer.” Nicci Dent

 

Menopause reduces women’s natural protection against heart disease

 

“Women are generally more at risk of heart disease after menopause. As women reach their fifties and navigate menopause, their risk factors for heart disease are more likely to increase as the protection they have received from oestrogen declines. Oestrogen plays an important role within women’s bodies. One of the many things Oestrogen helps do is keep the blood vessels in the body stable and functioning well,” says Dr Dind. “With less oestrogen, women are more likely to develop plaque in the arteries surrounding the heart or have this plaque rupture, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Oestrogen also has beneficial effects on sugar regulation and insulin.”

 

“Therefore, it is very important for women to create healthy habits BEFORE they reach menopause as that is when their risk of developing heart disease will accelerate. Women should try to keep up their lean muscle mass because menopause can also cause a change in their body composition, which means their fat mass can increase. Exercising, following a healthy diet and not smoking can all help prevent that escalation in risk. Although it isn’t common for younger women to experience heart disease, it can occur, so it is important to  follow a healthy lifestyle at any age.”

 

FREE resources launched for REDFEB

 

REDFEB aims to raise awareness for heart disease and funds for life-saving research. This February, Heart Research Australia is promoting new resources that highlight the differences in heart disease symptoms, prevention and management for both men and women.

 

The new resources include two educational videos and a free wallet card that outline the different signs and symptoms of a heart attack for both men and women, plus a ‘Heart Attack Action Plan’ should the situation arise. 

 

“The new resources are free to all Australians, but any financial support towards our life saving research will be gratefully received. The simple fact is that research saves lives, which is why Heart Research Australia funds world-class and emerging researchers to conduct ground-breaking research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease,” finished Ms Dent.

 

This February, Heart Research Australia invites all Australians to wear RED for someone close to their heart to help keep families together for longer. Whether it’s a family member, wife, husband, or that special friend who means the world to them, or in memory of someone they loved who sadly passed away due to heart disease.

 

For more information on REDFEB and to donate, please visit: www.heartresearch.com.au

 

 

About Heart Research Australia

Heart Research Australia supports world-class and emerging researchers to conduct ground-breaking research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. We support ‘seed’ funding, allowing researchers to turn their innovative, ‘out of the notebook’ ideas into reality. As this type of first-stage research does not qualify for government funding, we are solely reliant on the generosity of our wonderful supporters to help make the investigation of such ideas possible. Our goal is to keep families together for longer and reduce the devastating impact heart disease has on families and the community.

https://www.heartresearch.com.au/

 

About REDFEB

This coming February (or REDFEB as we like to call it), we invite you to wear RED for someone close to your heart to help keep families together for longer. Whether it’s a family member, wife, husband, or that special friend who means the world to you, or in memory of someone you loved who sadly passed away due to heart disease. Honour those close to your heart.  Raise money for life-saving research, raise awareness for heart disease and help keep families together for longer. Getting involved is as simple as wearing red and donating. #wearredanddonate

 

Wear Red Day is Feb 14, Valentine’s Day, but Heart Research Australia are raising awareness for the whole month of February. We are so grateful this year to have Abbott Vascular come on board again as a supporting partner for REDFEB 2022. Abbott have kindly funded the mechanics of this year’s campaign so all funds raised go directly to helping fund life-saving heart research. https://www.heartresearch.com.au/

 

 

BACKGROUND:

 

Key Statistics:

• Each day, an average of 20 Australians die from a heart attack. An Australian suffers a heart attack every 10 minutes. (*)
• Heart disease is the single biggest cause of Australian deaths 42% of these deaths are due to a heart attack.^
• Heart disease kills 48 Australians every day. (*)
• Heart disease kills an Australian every 30 minutes. (*)
• 1 in 20 Australians are currently affected by heart disease. (**) 
• 1.2 million Australians are currently affected by heart disease. (**) 

• One in five Australian adults have high blood pressure, one of the risk factors for heart disease. (**) 

• Coronary heart disease burden can be attributed to several risk factors. In 2015, dietary risk factors were responsible for the most coronary heart disease burden (62%), followed by high blood pressure (43%), high cholesterol (37%), overweight and obesity (25%), tobacco use (14%) and physical inactivity (12%). ^
• Estimated expenditure on coronary heart disease is more than $2.2 billion. ^
• 79% of hospital admissions for a heart attack are emergency admissions. ^
• Regular and timely contact with primary health care providers, such as GPs and cardiologists, can contribute to better outcomes for those with coronary heart disease. ^

 

 

Further statistics on women and heart disease:

• Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of illness and death among Australian women. It was responsible for more than 200,000 female hospitalisations and over 22,000 female deaths in 2016. It is a major women’s health concern, and aspects of its prevention, treatment and management are unique to women. #
• 7.7% of Australian women over the age of 18 met the recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake. ***
• 1 in 9 Australian women smoke daily. ***
• Indigenous women were up to twice as likely as non-Indigenous women to have cardiovascular disease, and to die from coronary heart disease or stroke. #
• Many women are unaware of the risk that cardiovascular disease presents to their health. Their knowledge about heart attack symptoms and cardiovascular disease as a cause of death is less than optimal—in 2018, for example, only one-fifth (21%) of Australian women correctly perceived heart-related causes to be the leading cause of death. #

 

*Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2021. Deaths in Australia. Cat. no. PHE 229. Canberra: AIHW.

^ Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2020. Coronary heart disease. Canberra: AIHW.

# AIHW – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2019. Cardiovascular disease in women. Cat. no. CDK 15. Canberra: AIHW.

**4364.0.55.001 – National Health Survey: First Results, 2017-18. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

*** Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2019. The health of Australia’s females. Cat. no. PHE 240. Canberra: AIHW