Thanks for those who supported Go Red For Women at our recent Donna Karan event!

Circle of Red / Go Red for Women / DKNY Boston from B-Roll Films on Vimeo.

You are Invited to an Exclusive Event!

Join the Red Dress Dashers!

Don’t forget! The Circle of Red and friends will be joining the annual “Lawyers Have Heart” 5k road race, on Wednesday, May 30th, with a team clad in red dresses! Eventually, we would like this Red Dress Dash to become a stand-alone event –imagine a sea of women in red dresses on the esplanade! 

You can participate in the 5K as either a walker or a runner, just be sure to wear a red dress.  To sign up, go to www.LHHBoston.org - Click on “Participant Registration” on the left, then “Join a Team”, and select “Red Dress Dashers” from the dropdown box!  There is a $50 registration fee, but we are not asking you to fundraise for this event. However, go for it if you have the time! Either way, we hope you can join us!

You are Invited to an Exclusive Donna Karan Shopping Event!

2012 Boston Go Red For Women Luncheon & Educational Forum

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2012 Go Red Luncheon and the Annual Circle of Red Breakfast Meeting!  To view all the photos from the event click here!

Higher death risk for younger women with heart attacks

The Boston Globe:  February 27, 2012

While younger women rarely have heart attacks, those who do face a greater risk of dying while in the hospital compared with men the same age – especially if they don’t present with the classic symptom: chest pain.

That’s according to a study published last Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that about 16 percent of women under 65 who had heart attacks without chest pain died in the hospital compared with 12.5 percent of men under 65. Those gender differences disappeared in those over age 65. The research, which examined more than 1 million heart attack admissions to hospitals from 1994 to 2006, highlights an important challenge doctors confront: it’s tough to recognize heart attacks in younger women with atypical symptoms – shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, nausea, or heart palpitations and no chest pain – but a delay in diagnosis and treatment leads to a greater risk of dying. “Chest pain is a hallmark symptom of a heart attack but fewer women present with this symptom than men,’’ said study author Dr. John Canto, a cardiologist at the Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida. Nearly 19 percent of women under 45 who had heart attacks had no chest pain in the study compared with 13 percent of men. But Dr. Stacy Fisher, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center who wasn’t involved in the research, said plenty of men in the study also presented without chest pain, and in both genders, absence of chest pain was associated with a four- to five-fold increase in mortality. The absence of chest pain symptoms appeared to result in a delay in diagnosis and treatment, the study found. Those without chest pain came into the hospital for treatment, on average, about two hours later and were given EKGs to check for signs of a heart attack about 15 minutes later than those with chest pain. Younger men without chest pain received their first treatment with a clot-busting drug intended to restore blood flow to the heart within an average of 62 minutes after they entered the hospital, compared with an average of 81 minutes for younger women without chest pain.

“These delays in diagnosis and treatment are huge,’’ said Dr. Malissa J. Wood, co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital’s women’s heart health program. “Time equals muscle because muscle deprived of oxygen can be injured or die in the setting of a heart attack.’’ Canto agreed that delays in treatment – most striking in the younger women who presented without chest pain – could have contributed to the higher death rates in this group. “There may also be biological differences in younger women who have heart attacks,’’ he added, “such as hormonal factors that . . . could make heart attacks more deadly.’’ While heart attacks are far less common in women under 65, they are on the rise along with obesity and diabetes – both risk factors for heart disease. “Women need to be aware of their risks and identify the warning signs so they can seek prompt medical attention in the event they have any,’’ said Wood.

Younger folks who have one heart attack risk factor – smoking, family history of early heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels – should be more on the alert if they’re having atypical symptoms like lightheadedness, nausea, sudden dizziness, breaking out in a cold sweat, or unusual fatigue. Along with chest pain that radiates into the arms, back, neck or jaw, these are symptoms that warrant an immediate call to 911, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.

Deborah Kotz can be reached at dkotz@globe.com.

Follow her on Twitter @debkotz2

Boston Heart Walk Success!

Congratulations to the Go Red Team!!

Thanks to all of our participants, we not only met our goal but we SURPASSED it with close to $7,000.00 in donations!!

It was a perfect sunny day, the esplanade looked beautiful and so did the Charles. We walked to spread the word for an incredible cause “Go Red for Women” and in the process we improved our health.

Thank you all for your tremendous support and we’ll see you next year!!

Some of the ladies on the Go Red Team at the 2011 Boston Heart Walk!

Register Now!

Don’t forget to register for the 2011 Boston Heart Walk – Saturday, September 10th!

Join the Go Red Team and enjoy a day full of fun, friends and exercise!

For more information and to register go to: www.bostonheartwalk.org

Click “Join a Team” and Select “Go Red Team” from the list of companies!

June is National CPR Month

Did you know June 1-7, 2011 was National CPR Week?

This week, a kickoff to the 2011-2012 year, was to encourage women to spread knowledge of CPR to friends and family with this Hands Only CPR Video!

Continue to share the link by email or facebook!  To post to your facebook use the link on the video page or use the post below:

“Did you know that 80% of cardiac arrests occur at home? Are you prepared to perform CPR on someone you love? I am because I learned Hands-Only CPR now it’s your turn http://www.goredforwomen.org/?popup=cpr“

JoAnne Foody, a Circle of Red member, explains what the COR is and why it is so important.