According to statistics of insurers Heart Diseases continue to be #
1 killer among insured lives. Over 38 % of total deaths have been due to
heart, followed by nearly 30 % because of cancer. Malignancies of lungs,
throat and mouth are predominant in India and Pakistan and could be attributed
to smoking and chewing tobacco, pan and beetle nuts.
Generally the importance of Annual medical checkup is not realized.
Thousands of people come to know that they have some health problem such
as diabetes or high cholesterol only when they go for routine medical examination
for life insurance.
Evaluation of the risks of heart diseases is not so difficult. As a
part of Public Awareness Program, The Agha Khan University Hospital (one
of the best hospitals in Pakistan) circulated a questionnaire to help evaluate
the risk of cardiac disease. It is reproduced below.
Just mark 1 for Yes and 0 for No.
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Is your age 40 years or above?
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Are you a male?
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Do you have a family history of premature Coronary Artery Disease?(Heart
Disease among parents, brothers, sisters who had heart disease before the
age 55 years)
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Do you smoke?
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Have you at any time in your life suffered from hypertension (High Blood
Pressure) requiring medication?
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Have you ever had to seek professional help for managing stress?
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Do you have a personal history of cerebrovascular (brain, blood vessels
or occlusive peripheral vascular disease ((blood vessels in legs or abdomen)?
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Do you suffer from Diabetes Mellitus?
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Would you call yourself Overweight?
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Do you suffer from hyperlipidemia (High level of cholesterol in blood)
or have you a low HDL cholesterol level? Mark 1 if you have not this tested.
If your score falls within the range of 0-3
you are in low risk group. You should try to control any of the risk factors
you may have, so that your risk for cardiac disease does not increase.
If your score falls within the range of 4-10, BEWARE. You should
consult a cardiologist and be properly assessed and receive counseling
to try to reduce the controllable risk factors.
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