ELLSWORTH — Patients and visitors at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital saw red last Friday.

Women employed at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital donned red to support national awareness of women and heart disease on Feb. 1.

—STAFF PHOTO BY OKA HUTCHINS

The national event, “Go Red for Women,” kicks off American Heart Month each year. The American Heart Association began “Go Red for Women” in 2003 in response to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute’s Heart Truth campaign designed to raise awareness of the particular risks women face when confronting heart disease.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinator Bernadette Dempsey and Betsy Doherty, spokesman for WomenHeart, a national coalition for women with heart disease, were on hand at the event to answer questions.

A heart health information booth was set up in the lobby and red dress pins and red bracelets were distributed for the event. Information from WomenHeart and the hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Center was made available to patients, visitors and staff.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America.

One out of three women in America — a total of 365,000 — die each year from the disease.

Despite the fact that women are more likely to die of heart disease and related complications than men, women only comprise 25 percent of participants in heart-related medical research studies.

“For a long time it was considered a man’s disease,” said Dempsey.

“The consequences of that is that we are just now starting to learn about the way this disease affects women,” said Doherty.

Warning signs for women can be far more subtle than they are for men and often don’t appear until an attack. Symptoms can include pain in the chest, shoulders and jaw, feeling breathless, unexplained tiredness or weakness and cold sweats, nausea and anxiety.

A majority of women — 63 percent — who die suddenly from coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms.

Many of the risk factors for heart disease can be overcome through lifestyle changes. The risks of smoking, stress, inactivity and obesity can be greatly reduced or removed through exercise and a healthy diet, said Doherty.

“Exercise is such a big thing it kind of has that ripple effect,” Dempsey said. “It lowers stress releases endorphins and lowers cholesterol.”

The risks associated with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes can be greatly reduced through healthy diet and exercise as well, although some individuals may need medications to keep these conditions under control.

Family history of heart disease and age are factors that cannot be controlled. Postmenopausal women and women over 55 are at a greater risk for heart disease.

“The biggest thing for women is making yourself number one,” Dempsey said. “Women tend to focus so much on other people that they forget to take care of themselves.”

Dempsey said she teaches her patients to think of taking care of themselves as a job.

“The little things add up,” she said. “Take the stairs more, walk the dog, play with your grandkids, park farther away.”

Dempsey is quick to point out that there is work to be done in raising area awareness of heart disease.

“It would be nice to get more incentives out there,” she said. “I’d like to see us eating healthier and exercising more as a community.”

The next heart month event, National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week, begins at the hospital on Feb. 10.

During this week, the hospital will hold events promoting awareness of the disease through exercise, education and support.