HEART ATTACK & LIFE INSURANCE ~ UNDERWRITING ISSUES Heart Attack and Life Insurance    If you have had a history of Heart Disease, a broker may still be able to help you obtain life cover - although maybe not on standard terms.  There are some critical factors involved that will determine your ability to obtain coverage & your information is always treated with the utmost privacy by the insurer or broker. If however you have not had a Heart attack but looking now for comprehensive cover to insure youself in the event of death or earlier critical illness on diagnosis of heart disease - then we can help you with a competitive Critical Illness or Life Insurance Quote   Life Insurance - What is a Heart Attack ? Heart attacks happen when a coronary artery carrying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked. If the blood supply is cut off, a part of the heart muscle dies - or infarcts. A heart attack is also known as a myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary thrombosis. Heart Attack Symptoms - Life Insurance Most heart attacks cause severe pain in the centre of the chest. However, sometimes there are no symptoms at all (silent MI), especially in the elderly and people with diabetes. The central chest pain is often described as heaviness, squeezing or crushing, and may come on suddenly causing the person to collapse. The pain may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, face, back or stomach. A person having a heart attack may be pale, sweaty and breathless. They might feel or be sick. The symptoms can come on suddenly, but sometimes the pain develops more slowly. The pain sometimes feels like severe indigestion. Heart attack pain is more persistent than angina and can last for hours. A person who is used to angina will find that the pain of a heart attack will not completely respond to their usual medicine (eg glyceryl trinitrate). Life Insurance - What causes heart attacks? The underlying cause of most heart attacks is atherosclerosis - where the coronary arteries become narrowed over many years. Atherosclerosis involves the formation of fatty deposits (plaques) on the walls of the coronary arteries. These plaques are thought to split open (rupture), releasing substances that cause the blood flowing in the coronary artery to clot. Combined, the plaque and blood clot (thrombus) can completely block the coronary artery altogether, causing a heart attack. Narrowing of coronary arteries without complete blockage may cause angina. Life Insurance - Who is affected by heart disease ? Heart attacks are more common in elderly people and, up to the age of 50, are more common in men than women. After that age, the difference between men and women begins to narrow. In addition to age and sex, there are a number of factors that increase the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attacks. These include: Smoking Family history of heart disease Inactive lifestyle (doing less than 30 minutes physical activity per day, on most days) Diabetes Obesity Raised blood pressure High cholesterol Naturally each individual will have personal circumstances and Uk life insurance companies will want to gather as much information as possible before making an underwriting decision. Heart Attack & Life Insurance Underwriting In all cases, this will probably include Doctor's and Specialist consultant's reports to ascertain; 1) the severity of the heart attack: 2) when the heart attack first/last occurred: 3) how far advanced the heart attack is/was: 4) heart disease treatment received: 5) what the current situation is. What do Uk Life Insurance Companies look for - when Underwriting a History of Heart Attacks ? It would depend on the type of Heart Disease and its severity as mentioned above. For Life or Critical lllness Cover most Uk insurers will view each case on an individual basis before making a decision. However the likely decision for all types of cover maybe a very substantial premium rating or decline. Note that decisions may vary quite dramatically between insurers so please contact us for help & advice. History - What happened in the past? How severe is the problem now & how does this affect you day to day? Medical Records - What do your medical records say about you?  Have you developed medical problems as a result of your Heart Disease ?  Treatment - Heart Disease. What operation was necessary after any ECG - Angioplasty, Coronary Artery Bypass ?   Family History - Do your parents or brothers or sisters have a history of Heart Disease also?  If so what age did they have it? For help with Heart Disease issues why not visit  www.bhf.org.uk * ( * Note: You are now leaving the regulated site of Uk Life Insurance Quotes. Neither ourselves, nor Sesame Ltd, is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within the linked site.)  Have Heart Disease & looking in 2010 to compare Life Insurance products against other Uk Insurers - including Life cover, decreasing (mortgage protection) or level term life insurance, Life with Critical Illness and Income Protection.  > Need a Competitive Life or Critical Illness Insurance Quote ?