Abbott 'Goes Red' to Educate Bay Area Women About Hea...( Abbott Sponsors American Heart Associ...),Health

Abbott Sponsors American Heart Association's 'Go Red for Women' Movement in

the Bay Area

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As a leader in cardiovascular treatment and the exclusive Bay Area "hometown" partner for the national "Go Red for Women" program, Abbott (http://www.abbott.com) is partnering with the American Heart Association (AHA) to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death for women in America.

One out of every three American women will die of heart disease, yet, according to AHA, only 13 percent of women believe heart disease is their greatest health risk. While largely preventable, heart disease in women often goes underdiagnosed and undertreated. Data shows that most women fail to make the connection between risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol and their risk of developing heart disease.

Through this year-long campaign, which kicks off in February -- American Heart Month -- Abbott and AHA hope to raise awareness that even women without classic risk factors and symptoms may be at risk -- just ask Michelle Smietana, a software testing engineer at Abbott. Ironically, Michelle just had her blood pressure and cholesterol checked -- both were normal. While she used to smoke and had been a bit overweight, she was feeling strong and healthy so she didn't know what to suspect last spring when she experienced some back pain that crept into her neck. At just 33, both she and the cardiologist who treated her were shocked when her ultrasound results showed evidence of a heart attack.

"If heart disease can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. I was only

33, had low cholesterol and good blood pressure. I didn't have the

"normal" symptoms you associate with heart disease like left arm pain and

pressure in my chest. Going through cardiac rehabilitation helped make

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