The most common cause of HF is ischemic cardiomyopathy of coronary artery disease, which enlarges the ventricles. Other common causes of heart failure include poorly controlled hypertension, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, valve disease, and hyperthyroidism.

Drug therapy is the primary HF treatment. Underlying conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and arrhythmia must be treated. Medications including diuretics and digoxin may be needed. Surgical treatment of heart failure may include pacemaker and defibrillator implants, coronary artery bypass or angioplasty, and repair of congenital heart and valvular heart disorders. The signs and symptoms of heart failure can improve and may disappear when HF is controlled and compensated, but this control does not cure the underlying cause of the failure. Some forms of heart failure may be curable such as right heart failure due to pulmonary embolism which generally resolves after treatment of the embolism.

Underwriting Considerations 

Heart failure, present, right or left	Decline
History of left heart failure (with or without right heart failure), due to cardiac disease, recovered	Postpone 1 year. Thereafter with stable or rising ejection factor (EF) enter table: EF >55%   Non-ratable EF 50-54% Table C EF 45-49% Table E EF 40-44% Table G EF <40%    Decline
Left heart failure (with or without right heart failure), due to non-cardiac disease, recovered	Rate for cause only
Left and right heart failure, due to congenital heart disease or valve disease, surgically impaired and fully recovered.	Rate for cause only.
Right heart failure without left heart failure Acute, due to pulmonary embolism, recovered Acute, due to myocardial infarction, recovered Chronic or others	Rate for the greater of cause, residual impairment or therapy. (Current anticoagulant therapy is Table B.) Rate as Myocardial Infarction (Rx #14) Individual Consideration

 

This material is intended for insurance informational purposes only and is not personal medical advice for clients.