Friday, February 4, is National Wear Red Day. All across the country, people will wear red to show their support for the Go Red For Women campaign, which raises awareness about women and heart disease. The mission of National Wear Red Day is “to ensure that we never have to deny research that could save a woman’s life” and to “help raise the funds needed for lifesaving educational programs and the development of new treatments to fight heart disease.” Although many women believe that breast cancer is the number one killer of women, it is actually heart disease, which takes the life of 1 in 3 women each year.

According to the American Heart Association here are signs that a heart attack may be happening:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath. This feeling may occur with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs of discomfort. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
• As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you or someone you are with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don't wait longer than five minutes before calling 9-1-1 for help.

In addition to books and DVD's, San José Public Library has several free online resources that contain information about heart disease and many other medical topics:

• Consumer Health Complete, an electronic resource available in 22 languages
• Consumer Health Information, an electronic resource available in, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, and Tagalog
• McGill’s Medical Guide Online

The American Heart Association web site

and MedlinePlus web site are also excellent resources for learning about heart disease.

I’ll be wearing a red blouse on National Wear Red Day. Please find something red in your wardrobe and wear it on February 4th.