[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 10 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in a final note, tomorrow, February 4--I 
mention this because we will not be in session tomorrow--is called 
National Wear Red Day. So I put my red tie on a little bit earlier, and 
I will be wearing it tomorrow because tomorrow all across the country 
men and women will be wearing this red color of dress, or pant suit, or 
tie, or maybe jackets, all to raise awareness for heart disease in 
women.
  A lot of people do not realize that this year more women will die of 
heart disease than men. People think heart disease, unfortunately, is a 
men's disease. More women will die of heart disease than men. It is 
true this year, last year, the year before that--all the way back to 
1984. It is a fact.
  Last week, I had the pleasure of joining WomenHeart, which is the 
Nation's only patient advocacy organization for women with heart 
disease. I shared my experiences with them as a heart surgeon, as a 
heart and lung transplant surgeon, and the importance of awareness of 
early detection and prevention and treatment.
  It is not a ``man's disease'' and it is not an ``elderly disease.'' 
It is a disease that affects all people. There are over 8 million women 
nationwide who have heart disease right this very second. That is more 
than the number of women--if you added them together--in New York, Los 
Angeles, and Chicago.
  Women who experience heart problems--it is interesting--die at a 
higher rate after their first heart attack than men. So you have a man 
and woman, they both have a heart attack, but the woman is more likely 
to die of a heart attack. We don't know exactly why that is the case, 
which is one of the things we need to continue to investigate.
  In my own State of Tennessee, the death rate for women with heart 
disease is 70 percent higher than men.
  These are the sorts of observations of phenomena that need to be even 
more aggressively investigated. And part of wearing red tomorrow is 
this awareness--the necessity of research, the focus on prevention and 
diagnosis of heart disease in women.
  We have made huge strides in treating heart disease in women.
  In January, the American Cancer Society released its annual 
statistical report, citing that mortality rates for heart disease are 
dropping dramatically. I am encouraged by this news. But we can't be 
complacent. Heart disease is still the second leading cause of death in 
the United States.
  While we can't control our genes--which is a large predeterminant--we 
can eat a healthy diet, get active, stay in shape, absolutely stop 
smoking, and reduce stress in our daily lives.
  Those are all the controllable variables which we know can have a 
dramatic impact on improving quality of life, if you have heart 
disease, or avoiding heart disease altogether. If we live by these very 
simple principles, we can live a healthier life and have a more 
optimistic outlook on life.
  In celebration of National Wear Red Day, in the spirit of the Heart 
Truth Campaign, I call upon each and every American to take action--
take charge of your health and this Friday wear red.
  I actually have a little pin on as well that has a red dress. You 
will see a lot of women wearing red dresses tomorrow.
  By encouraging awareness, you will help women across the country--
mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends--to learn the facts about this 
deadly disease.




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