By Howard Koplowitz
The event was a part of the American Heart Association's “Go Red For Women” campaign, a nationwide initiative started in 2004 by first lady Laura Bush. The health system raised $5,000 for the cause from Feb. 1 to Feb. 3, capped by luncheon Friday.Dr. Stacy Rosen, the section head for cardiology at LIJ and a committee chairwoman of the AHA's Long Island chapter, said the campaign is needed because most women believe heart disease is only found in men.This misunderstanding, Rosen said, started with doctors.”We didn't study it well enough,” she said of heart disease in women, noting that doctors' studies were limited to men over the last 20 years because they did not think women were affected.For instance, at a 1960 AHA convention held in Oregon about women and heart disease, the theme was “How can I help my husband cope with heart disease?”Even as late as 1995, a cover of Reader's Digest read “Is your husband ready for a heart attack?” The subject was only accurately portrayed on the cover of a recent Time Magazine, which said that one in three women is affected by heart disease, Rosen said. But on the back cover was an advertisement for cigarettes Ð a contributing factor to heart disease Ð with a woman who was ironically wearing a red fez to promote the Camels brand. Rosen said studies showed that women think they should be more concerned with cancer than heart disease, but the facts show that three times more women die from heart disease than stroke, cancer and accidents combined and one women dies from heart disease every minute.A roadblock to getting women proper treatment for the condition is that heart disease has to be cared for differently for them than it is for men.”Our assumption that heart disease is heart disease is wrong,” Rosen said, noting that aspirin therapy is more beneficial to men than women. Even the symptoms of heart disease can be different in women, she said, such as stomach aches and fatigue, which are not signs of heart disease in men.Rosen said the important questions women should ask their doctors is about their cholesterol and blood pressure levels and what kind of physical activities they can participate in to stave off heart disease.Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
