National Wear Red Day

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. -- On this National Wear Red Day, Friday Feb. 4, the American Heart Association hopes to raise awareness about the number one killer of women: heart disease.

The Women's Heart Alliance launched a new awareness campaign because of the rising number of cardiovascular death rates in women.

Doctors say there's been a rise of disease particularly in women under the age of 50, and women of color.

The problem existed before COVID-19, but was exacerbated by the pandemic.

Doctors say the warning signs are not just chest pain.

"Women will have other types of symptoms and this is why they get misdiagnosed, indigestion, overwhelming fatigue, shortness of breath, radiating pain into their jaw or shoulder," said Dr. Noel Bairey Merz, Medical Director for Barbara Streisand Women's Heart Center.

It's important to get your heart checked.

A doctor can calculate a woman's risk of heart disease through tests and screenings.

Flags line up lower State Street in downtown Santa Barbara to spread awareness for the cause.

To learn more about the American Heart Association, click here.