A Model for Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke with Applications to Critical Illness Insurance Underwriting I: The Model

Abstract

Abstract In Part I we construct a model for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke that either incorporates, or includes pathways through, the major risk factors of interest when underwriting for critical illness insurance. Our main purpose is to develop a model that could be used to assess the impact on insurance underwriting of genetic information relevant to CHD and/or stroke. Our model is parameterized using data from the Framingham Heart Study in the United States. In Part II we extend this model to include other critical illnesses, for example, cancers and kidney failure, and describe some applications of the model.