Stress Is Prime Cause Of Heart Disease, ICICI Lombard Survey Reveals

·                     64% cardiologists say stress is the main cause of cardiovascular disease

·                     Cardiac conditions can affect any age group and body type

·                     58% doctors believe foods with high cholesterol cause heart ailments

·                    82% cardiologists believe people of Mumbai and Delhi more prone to cardiac conditions

ICICI Lombard conducted a survey of cardiologists to burst myths associated with heart-related ailments and highlight the facts about cardiovascular disease. The survey involved face-to-face interviews with 50 cardiologists, each with more than 10 years of experience.

According to the study, 64% of cardiologists felt that stress was the main cause of cardiovascular ailments, contrary to popular belief that improper diet and lack of exercise were responsible for heart disease. The study also revealed that age was not a determining factor with 68% of doctors contending that any age group could be vulnerable to heart disease. Generally, people think that the 41-50 age group is most susceptible to cardiac ailments.

Among other interesting findings, 74% of doctors said heart disease could affect people with any body type, while most people thought only the overweight were vulnerable. Cardiologists said that ‘high cholesterol’ foods were the primary cause of heart disease, and not oily and fatty foods as people would think. According to doctors, extreme fatigue in males and chest pain in females are the symptoms to look out for in a possible heart attack.

The cardiologists were unanimous in their view that those who exercised regularly were less vulnerable to heart disease, though 86% said men were more susceptible than women. Interestingly, the doctors more or less concurred that residents of Mumbai and Delhi were more prone to cardiac conditions than their counterparts in other cities — underscoring the fact that stress brought on by a hectic lifestyle was chiefly responsible for heart disease.

Sanjay Datta, Chief - Underwriting Claims and Reinsurance, ICICI Lombard, said, “We, at ICICI Lombard, constantly endeavour to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. The growing incidence of heart disease among the young and middle-aged is a wake-up call for people to take charge of their health by making small changes in their day-to-day habits and lessen the risk of heart ailments. To encourage healthy living, we reached out to noted cardiologists for their views on the myths and truths of heart health. The resultant survey throws light on the causes and consequences of heart disease and offers valuable hints on preventing the same by incorporating wellness strategies into our lives.” 

In other findings, 62% of cardiologists believe 20-25 years to be the ideal age for buying health insurance and an average coverage of Rs 4.15 lakh for heart-related diseases.

About ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd

We were the largest private-sector non-life insurer in India based on gross direct premium income in fiscal 2017, a position we have maintained since fiscal 2004 after being one of the first few private-sector companies to commence operations in the sector in fiscal 2002, according to the CRISIL Report. We offer our customers a comprehensive and well-diversified range of products, including motor, health, crop/weather, fire, personal accident, marine, engineering and liability insurance, through multiple distribution channels. We were founded as a joint venture between ICICI Bank Limited, India’s largest private-sector banking terms of consolidated total assets with an asset base of ₹ 9.9 trillion at March 31, 2017, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, a Canadian based holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management with US$43.38 billion of total assets at December 31, 2016.

Mumbai, October 11, 2017