This Is Why Central New York Wore Red on Friday

Central New York was decked out in red on Friday, February 2.

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Celebrate Wear Red Day

Friday, February 2, is National Wear Red Day. This annual event is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease in women.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says over 60 million women in the United States are living with some form of heart disease. Heart disease, which impacts women of all ages, is also the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. In 2021, it killed over 310,000 women,

It's estimated that about 1 in every 5 female deaths in the U.S. was related to heart disease.

The American Heart Association says the event helps kick off the broader American Health Month, which is designed to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of heart disease, as well as how to effectively prevent or treat it.

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The Unknown Warning Signs of Heart Disease

The AHA says women are less likely to exhibit symptoms of certain heart diseases than men.

They noted that when women do exhibit warning signs, "Symptoms may be wrongly attributed to other conditions such as osteoarthritis, or even dismissed under the false assumption that peripheral artery disease is more common among men."

When it comes to symptoms commonly exhibited by women, the AHA stated:

1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
2. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
5. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women may experience other symptoms that are typically less associated with heart attack, such as shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

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Wear Red Day also helps kick off the upcoming America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk in Utica.

50 Years in CNY

The 50gh annual Heart Run & Walk will be held March 2 at Utica University, with WIBX's annual Slocum-Dickson Radiothon kicking off the day before.

Read More: Massive Changes Coming to Heart Run & Walk in Central New York

The community event was inspired in 1971 when legendary WIBX personality Ralph Allinger died of a heart attack. The annual tradition took shape in 1974 when a group of runners sprinted from Barneveld to the old WIBX studio building in Clark Mills.

The event has grown tremendously since then and, currently, is helping to fund three major research projects in the Mohawk Valley.

For those seeking more information about America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk, to be a corporate sponsor, or to register and begin building teams, visit UticaHeartRunWalk.org or email heartofutica@heart.org or visit HERE.