Heart-related issues and diseases are one of the leading causes of mortality in the world, including India. As per the WHO (World Health Organization), heart-related ailments cause more than 17.9 million deaths each year globally. India has one of the highest burdens of heart diseases worldwide. As per an NCBI report, the annual number of deaths from heart issues in India is expected to sharply increase from 2.2 million in 1990 to 4.77 million in 2020.
Further, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, are significantly high among Indians, even those at a younger age. And these factors have continued to rapidly rise in the last 25 years. Some of the top contributors to these numbers are the changing lifestyle patterns, swelling stress, unhealthy eating, environmental pollution and physical inactivity.
With such alarming figures, they indicate the underlying urgency for people to be cautious of their heart health and take all preventive measures to prevent heart diseases. You must maintain good health and understand the symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment of heart-related diseases to be well-prepared to face any eventuality.
Besides, one of the best mediums to financially secure yourself and your loved ones is to buy a comprehensive health insurance plan for your heart. Investing in a sound health insurance plan for the heart will enable you to get the best treatment in case of any heart-related ailment. Further, such an insurance plan will also financially secure your family in case of any unfortunate event in the future.
Heart diseases include any types of disorders related to the heart. Different heart diseases affect different parts of the heart and cause varying symptoms. Some of the most common heart diseases that can impact people of all ages are:
A woman’s heart is different from a man’s heart. Even though the differences are subtle, they can have a huge variation in how heart diseases impact both genders.
A major point of difference in women and men’s hearts is the way they experience heart symptoms.
- Cold sweats
- Intense pain in the chest
- Pain in the left arm
Are you at risk of a heart-related issue?
People who have one or more of the below conditions are more likely to experience a heart issue:
- Age – men above 45 and women beyond 55
- A history of heart attacks
- A family history of heart issues
- Congenital heart defect
- High blood pressure
- Excessive smoking of tobacco
- Uncontrolled consumption of alcohol
- High blood cholesterol
- Overweight and Obesity
- Diabetes
- Lack of physical activity
- Abuse of drugs
- Acute lack of potassium and magnesium
- Fatal kidney diseases
How are heart diseases diagnosed?
To diagnose heart diseases, the doctor may conduct a physical examination, understand the medical history, evaluate the family history, and summon tests to confirm the analysis. A few of the tests used to diagnose heart diseases include:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): An ECG records the heart electrical signals to diagnose irregularities in its rhythm and structure. It helps to detect arrhythmia, cholesterol clogging the heart’s blood supply, previous heart attacks, size of the heart, etc.
- Holter Monitoring: In this test, the doctor checks the heartbeat for 24 hours to assess the heart’s activity, its rhythm, and heart rate.
- Echocardiogram: Echocardiogram, outlines the heart’s movement over a period by providing graphic pictures of the heart’s valves, chambers, etc., to assess the heart functioning, particularly its pumping action.
- Cardiac Catheterization: This test provides clear pictures of the heart blood flow, blood vessels, valves, etc., to detect any abnormalities or blockages.
- Cardiac Computerised Tomography Scan: A CT gives deep and clear pictures of the heart.
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Cardiac MRI produces detailed pictures of heart organs, tissues and its surrounding blood vessels. It helps assess the functioning and structure of the heart and blood vessels, as well as the effect of any past treatment, etc.
How to avoid and be prepared for heart-related issues?
Here are a few measures that can help you avoid and eventually, be prepared to face heart-related uncertainties:
1.Indulge in healthy eating to minimise heart problems: Healthy foods like fresh fruits, green vegetables, fibre, whole grains, fish, nuts, etc., work very well to keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of diseases.
2.Increase physical activeness to reduce heart-related disease risk: Physical inactivity is one of the prime causes of heart issues. By increasing physical activeness, it is possible to keep the heart healthy and avoid major heart ailments.
3.Get preventive medical check-ups to identify heart-related risk factors in advance: Regular screenings of the heart including factors such as blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index (BMI), and more, can help to detect risk factors much in advance and avoid major heart issues. Besides, preventive check-ups could help to minimise the intensity of disease by treating it before-in-hand.
4.Avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake to restrict the risk of heart issue: Studies have proven that tobacco smoking can damage the heart and cause severe heart issues, including heart attack. Moreover, alcohol consumption can potentially lead to blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, stroke, irregular heartbeats, etc.
5.Reduce stress in life to keep the heart healthy: Stress is another major cause for many heart-related ailments. Reducing stress in your life can help you maintain healthy body vitals and keep the heart strong. Activities like Yoga, meditation, counselling, or picking up a hobby can help to minimise stress.
6.Maintain a healthy weight to fight heart diseases: Obesity is a trigger for heart risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, etc. If not controlled, these factors can lead to a major heart health issue.
7.Take a health insurance policy to get the right treatment and keep your family secure: A sound health insurance policy will financially protect you against any critical medical emergencies. And because heart-related treatments can be monetarily demanding, it is best to buy an insurance plan that supports you in getting the best treatment possible without burdening you or your family.
Choose Kotak Health Shield as your Heart Shield
Kotak Health Shield offers fixed benefits and acts as your protective guard against early or major illnesses related to the Heart, Cancer, Liver and Neuro.
Specifically, in terms of heart, Kotak Health Shield covers issues like angioplasty, cardiac arrhythmia, carotid artery surgery, cardiomyopathy, heart valve replacement, heart attack, coronary angioplasty, heart transplant, and more.
If a policyholder is diagnosed with minor heart disease, Kotak Health Shield pays 25% of Sum Assured, and the insurance plan continues with the remaining balance. In case the policyholder is diagnosed with a major heart issue, Kotak Health Shield pays 100% of the Sum Assured to the policyholder, and the cover is terminated.
Kotak Health Shield also extensively pays for:
- Second medical opinion
- Emergency evacuation
- Medical monitoring
- Medical repatriation
- Compassionate visit
You also have an option to secure protection against Personal Accident – Death and Disability. Further, you have the flexibility to include your spouse in the same plan and enhance your policy through:
- Daily Hospitalisation Cash Benefit
- Waiver of Premium on being diagnosed with Minor Conditions
- Income Benefit on being diagnosed with Major Conditions
In this fast-moving, highly vulnerable world, trust Kotak Health Shield to be your armour against health issues, including heart diseases.
