Heart Disease, Stroke and Long-term Disability Claims

Also known as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), heart disease is the buildup of plaque in the heart’s arteries. It can lead to serious complications that can affect your health and quality of life.

Just as heart disease disrupts the flow of blood to and from the heart, a stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, and the brain is deprived of oxygen.

Symptoms resulting from heart disease and stroke can affect an individual’s ability to function. If your heart disease or stroke has left you unable to work, you may want to file a long-term disability claim.

Read on to learn more about heart disease and stroke, and how you can get the help you need if your long-term disability claim is denied in Canada.

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Understanding Heart Disease and Stroke

Heart disease is the buildup of plaque and the hardening of the arteries surrounding the heart. This can cause complications that can lead to a heart attack, heart failure, and death. 1 in 12 Canadians over the age of 20 currently live with heart disease. Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada. Many risk factors, however, can be controlled with lifestyle changes.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in adult Canadians. Every 10 minutes a stroke takes someone’s life in Canada. Over 400,000 Canadians are living with the effects of a stroke. Stroke disproportionately affects more women than men. Heart disease and stroke are the number one cause of premature death of women in Canada today.

Types of Heart Disease

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

CAD is also known as coronary heart disease (CHD) and is sometimes called ischemic heart disease. CAD is caused by a build-up of plaque in the walls of the heart’s arteries. This causes the arteries to become narrow, which reduces blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body. The reduction in blood flow is called atherosclerosis. Symptoms include pain in the chest, shoulder, and arms, as well as shortness of breath, light-headedness, and nausea. Over time CAD damages the heart and can lead to heart attack or heart failure, as a result of the heart inadequately pumping blood.

Arrhythmia

A cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat. An arrhythmia can cause the heart to beat erratically, beating either too slow or too fast. Because of the erratic heartbeat the heart cannot effectively do its job of pumping blood to the rest of the body, which in turn affects other organs. Symptoms of arrhythmia include fatigue, shortness of beat, and chest pain. An arrhythmia can also cause a heart attack or stroke.

Heart Valve Problems

Also known as heart valve disease, this occurs when one of the four valves does not function properly, usually by stopping the blood from flowing in the right direction. Symptoms include chest pain, abdominal swelling, fatigue, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and dizziness or fainting. Heart valve disease can sometimes require surgery to repair the valve.

Hypertension

Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure, and this occurs when the flow of blood from the heart causes too much pressure on the walls or the heart’s arteries. Sometimes there are no symptoms of hypertension, but it can also cause shortness of breath and headaches. Hypertension can be managed with lifestyle changes as well as medication.

Heart Attack

Also called a myocardial infarction, a heart attack is a complication that can result from heart disease. This happens when a build-up of plaque in the heart arteries stops blood from flowing. Heart attacks require immediate medical attention. Symptoms include tightness in the chest, pain in the arms, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and sometimes nausea and sweating.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Congestive heart failure does not refer to the heart having failed, but to the heart’s inability to pump as strong as it should. This is caused by a build-up of fluid in the heart. This leads to not enough oxygenated blood being pumped throughout the body. Heart failure is a chronic condition that can involve the right, left, or both sides of the heart. Risk factors for heart failure include coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hyperactive thyroid problems.

Stable Angina

Stable Angina is the medical term for chest pain caused by coronary artery disease (CAD). It is the result of the heart not getting enough oxygenated blood, which is also called ischemia. The result is pressure or tightness in the chest, neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm. Narrowed arteries block the heart muscle from receiving enough blood to the heart and is worsened by physical exertion such as climbing stairs (when the heart is pumping more vigorously), and the heart requires more oxygen in the blood flowing into it. Other triggers include emotional stress, extreme temperatures, heavy meals, and smoking.

Unstable Angina

Unstable angina is also characterized by chest pain, but unlike stable angina, it can occur when the body is resting. It causes unexpected chest pain, and is the result of atherosclerosis, or the build-up of plaque, in the hearts arteries. Partial or total blockages of arteries by blood clots cause unstable angina. Blood clots can dissolve and reform, causing the recurrence of unstable angina. Symptoms include unexpected chest pain that arises while resting, sleeping, or slight movements, and can lead to a heart attack.

Types of Strokes:

Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke is the most common form of stroke. It occurs when a blockage in the blood blocks the flow of blood to the brain, usually caused by the narrowing of arteries or a blood clot. Strokes require immediate medical attention. Symptoms include paralysis or numbness on one side of the face or body, confusion, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, dizziness, trouble speaking or walking, and severe headache. A stroke can be a complication of heart disease and a build-up of plaque in the arteries (atherosclerosis). Stroke can have serious long-term side effects, including paralysis on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, and memory loss.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

A hemorrhagic stroke is rarer than an ischemic stroke – about 13% of all strokes are hemorrhagic strokes. These are caused by a ruptured blood vessel that bleeds into the brain and interferes with the brains functioning. Hemorrhagic strokes have similar symptoms and outcomes to ischemic strokes, and also require immediate medical attention.

Why are claims for invisible illness denied?

They Claim You Have Insufficient Medical Documentation

Heart disease, or ischemia, is often called ‘silent ischemia’, because it can lack symptoms or signs that you may have it, but nevertheless is a very serious condition. Many insurance companies will claim that you there is insufficient medical evidence to justify a claim for heart disease. It can be difficult to prove because it is not easily detectable.

Your doctor may perform several tests to confirm heart disease. These include an abnormal stress test, an exercise tolerance test (ETT), and electrocardiographic testing (EET). An EET can help identify blockages around the heart that cause heart disease. Some tests, like an exercise tolerance test, are not necessarily conclusive. However, it is important to keep records of all the medical tests your doctor performs, as well as records of any specialists that you are referred to and visit.

Was your LTD Claim Denied?

If you have been denied long-term disability benefits for heart disease, an experienced LTD firm like Samfiru Tumarkin LLP can help you face the insurance company and get the compensation you are rightfully entitled to. We will help you understand and interpret your insurance policy, compile evidence, gather expert testimony, and, most importantly, make sure you get the disability benefits that you deserve.

Don’t walk way from your rights. That is what the insurance company wants you to do. They may also encourage you to appeal the denial. Do not go through the insurance company’s appeals process! In most cases, your appeal will be unsuccessful, and your insurer will use this tactic to run out the clock on your time limit to file a claim for full compensation.

If your disability claim is denied in Canada, you need to contact the experienced long-term disability lawyers at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP immediately at 1-855-821-5900 for a FREE CONSULTATION. We will review the facts of your situation, tell you if you have a case, and take the fight to the insurance company on your behalf. Don’t let them walk away with the money that they owe you in your time of need.

Get the advice you need, the compensation you deserve.

Additional Resources

• Heart & Stroke – Recovery and Support
• Heart & Stroke – Resources & Videos
• Government of Ontario – Cardiovascular Disease
• Sunnybrook – Nutrition and Heart Health
• Sunnybrook – Risk Factors
• Heart Attack Tools & Resources
• Heart Failure Tools & Resources