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'Women Love Your Heart' screening event is Saturday

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The WVU Heart and Vascular Institute is partnering with the WVU National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health to help women care for their hearts.

The annual "Women Love Your Heart" screening event will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute.

The event will provide free screenings, assessments, and services, including:

  • Blood pressure

  • BMI

  • Cholesterol

  • EKG

  • Glucose

  • One-on-one nutrition counseling

  • Personal fitness instruction

  • Pharmacy consultation sessions

Fasting is preferred but not required for the cholesterol and glucose tests. And those interested in the pharmacy consultations should bring a list of their medications and supplements.

“More women than men die of heart disease each year, and women experience different symptoms than men typically do,” said Partho Sengupta, MD, chief of cardiology at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute. “Don’t ignore symptoms – listen to your body.”

Common heart attack symptoms for women include:

  • Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, or pain in the chest

  • Sharp upper body pain in the arm(s), back, neck, or jaw

  • Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort

  • Cold sweats (not hot flashes from menopause)

  • Unfamiliar or unexplained nausea, dizziness, or light-headedness

  • Unusual or unexplained fatigue

“If you experience one or more of these heart attack symptoms, call 911 immediately,” Dr. Sengupta said. “Early diagnosis and treatment of a heart attack can save your life, and prevent or minimize heart damage. If you are not sure if symptoms are related to your heart, it is better to be evaluated quickly to be sure.”