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Background information
Every year there are an estimated 280,000 heart attacks in the UK - that's one every 2 minutes.
Less than half of those who have a heart attack die within 28 days.
Coronary Heart Disease is the most common cause of premature death.
About 28,000 coronary artery by-pass grafts are carried out each year - a 5-fold increase since 1980.
The number of coronary angioplasties has also increased, with 14,000 now being carried out annually.
Around 2.6 million people are currently suffering from coronary heart disease.
(British Heart Foundation, 2002)
In 2000, over 120,000 people died from coronary heart disease. That's around 330 deaths every day.
(Office for National Statistics, 2001)
Studies have indicated that two-thirds of men suffering their first heart attack will survive for a minimum of 5 years.
( Munich Re, 2002)
Definition
The death of a portion of heart muscle, due to inadequate blood supply, that has resulted in all of the following evidence of acute myocardial infarction:
- new characteristic electrocardiographic changes;
- the characteristic rise of cardiac enzymes, troponins or other biochemical markers;
where all of the above shows a definite acute myocardial infarction. Other acute coronary syndromes, including but not limited to angina, are not covered under this definition.
What does this mean?
The body needs oxygen to survive and it receives this from the blood. The heart is effectively a pump, which ensures that oxygenated blood circulates through the body to where it is needed.
The heart itself also needs oxygen to continue to work effectively. If the supply of oxygen to the heart is cut off then a portion of the heart muscle is damaged. This can be caused by the blockage of a coronary artery.
Arteries can become blocked by fatty material or by blood clots. Damage to the heart muscle usually causes severe pain and results in an increase in cardiac enzymes and the introduction of troponins, which are released into the blood.
A heart attack will also result in electrocardiograph changes. Angina produces similar symptoms to an actual heart attack, but is caused by a reduction in the supply of blood to the heart rather than a complete blockage. Heart muscle does not die as a result.
Angina may be an early indication that a future heart attack is likely. Angina is not covered.
14 March 2008 17:18:34
A drug used to treat Parkinson's disease might work in cancer patients, research claims.
Medical News Today reports that scientists believe dopamine, a drug currently used to treat Parkinson's disease and other illnesses, could possibly prevent new blood vessels from growing and slow cancer progression - a finding which may affect the life insurance policies of sufferers.
"Sometimes new drugs may not be the answer. We looked instead at a novel use for an established product and have found very promising results," said Dr Sujit Basu who conducted the research at the National Cancer Institute in Calcutta, India.
The study, which involved mice and laboratory models, has not been replicated in humans, but the results are encouraging, he added.
Dr Basu has been studying the role of dopamine in cancer for several years.
His research is currently based on mouse and laboratory models of sarcoma, a malignant tumor that affects soft tissues.
The study is published in the March 13 online issue of t he Journal of Clinical Investigation.
According to Cancer Research UK, 284,560 persons were diagnosed with cancer in the UK in 2004.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
27 September 2007 16:21:31
The importance of life insurance and critical illness cover has been underlined by a scientist studying breast cancer.
The expert from New York's University of Rochester medical centre found that women diagnosed with breast cancer who have gone through previous stressful events can have the disease recur almost twice as fast as other women.
Women with "peaceful" lives were said to experience a recurrence after about five years, while those who had faced abuse or life-threatening situations saw tumours return after half that time.
"There is such a dramatic difference between women who had experienced traumatic things and those who didn’t," said the author of the study, Oxana Palesh PhD.
"Clearly this study demonstrates that it's important to recover from trauma or stressful events for your mental and physical health," she added.
Previous studies have shown that stress can alter the functioning of the immune system, although there has been difficulty proving a clear link between stress and breast cancer.
Some large-scale studies have shown connections between recent stressful life events, for example the death of a spouse, and the risk of breast cancer, but others have been inconclusive.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, and critical illnesslife insurance policies online.
15 January 2008 11:47:56
Critical illness
cover is a handy alternative to life insurance, according to the man who came up with the idea for it.
Dr Marius Barnard, a South African surgeon who created the first critical illness policy in 1983, pointed out that increased life expectancy, improved ability to diagnose illnesses and the advent of better treatment have led critical illness cover to account for more eventualities than life insurance.
He commented on the difficulties facing individuals who want to take out adequate cover: "If you die at 30, life insurance was more important.
"But if you get a critical illness at 55 or 45 - when you are at the height of your earning ability - and you have an operation and survive another ten to 20 years, then critical illness insurance was more important."
He added that while life insurance is somewhat easier for individuals to understand, critical illness policies often require a financial advisor to explain the finer details.
According to the Association of British Insurers, around 12 million adults and children have been covered since critical illness insurance was introduced to the UK in 1986.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
