Washington loves the color red. It’s the color of choice for power-tie and power-suit wearing Hill types, and, of course, we all like reading about said Hill folk getting caught red-handed and red-faced. But on Friday, the color takes on a different meaning for National Wear Red Day, part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, which aims to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death for women in the U.S.

Heart disease also is the leading cause of death for men, but when it comes to detection, women are screwed. According to a story in today’s Wall Street Journal, researchers found that conventional tests do not detect heart disease in millions of U.S. women because they tend to have blockages in smaller blood vessels instead of larger clogs in main arteries. So, the tiny, dainty, lady-like blockages in women’s arteries can be even more deadly than the huge, bulky, macho buildups in men. Typical.

What can you do to help? Wear red and raise awareness. Red not your color? Check out the AHA’s Greater Washington Region’s Web site for more information and upcoming events, such as the “An Affair of the Heart” luncheon and fashion show at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel on February 16 and the Heart Gala at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner on February 25. Do you know of any other local Go Red for Women events?