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Home / Critical illness cover / - Kidney Failure
Background information
At the end of 1998, over 31,000 patients were suffering from end-stage renal failure.
About half of these received transplants, while the remainder were treated with dialysis.
(UK Renal Registry, 1999)
Definition
End stage renal failure presenting as chronic irreversible failure of both kidneys to function, as a result of which either regular renal dialysis or renal transplant is initiated.
What does this mean?
The function of the kidneys is to remove waste material from the bloodstream. If they do not work properly there can be a build up of waste material in the blood, which can become life threatening. The body can function perfectly well with only one kidney, but if both fail there will be a need for regular dialysis, to clean the blood artificially, or for a kidney transplant.
NEWS
Critical illness: Role of genes in progression of Aids
25 October 2007 13:30:57
Aids sufferers looking at their critical illness cover options may be interested in the latest research showing the effect of gene variations on the condition's progression.
A study at the University of Texas Health Science Centre challenged the established belief that viral load, or the quantity of virus in an HIV-infected patient's blood, is the main indicator of how soon an individual might be diagnosed with full-blown Aids.
Scientists at the university concluded that people with a combination of two specific genes were more likely to display characteristics pointing to progressive HIV disease.
"The genetic variations contribute nearly as much to the extent of inter-individual variability in Aids progression rates as does HIV-1 viral load," lead researcher Sunil Ahuja told the French Press Agency (AFP).
CCR5, one of the genes in question, helps facilitate HIV entry into a cell while the other, CCL3L1, is an immune response gene.
Other genes that have yet to be fully explored by scientists are believed to play a part in Aids' development.
According to UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation, 39.5 million people across the globe were living with HIV or AIDS at the end of 2006.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
Brits 'flex the truth' when filling in forms
04 January 2008 13:31:03
A large proportion of UK residents risk having their life insurance or critical illness cover cancelled because they mislead providers about the state of their health.
In new research conducted by Norwich Union, it was revealed that out of the 1,460 adults polled, more than half (58 per cent) are embarrassed about their lifestyle, although they are more likely to make false claims than change their bad habits.
Up to one in 14 customers admitted lying about their health and lifestyle when it came to filling in application forms, whether it concerned smoking, drinking, exercise or eating patterns.
Psychologist Corinne Sweet remarked: "People can minimise their bad habits when put on the spot at the doctor's or when registering at the gym because they fear facing the truth about their behaviour.
"The problem is, being economical with the truth about your bad habits means you won't do anything to improve your health.
"Plus, you may be sitting on a health time bomb, like heart disease, without realising until it's too late."
Previous research by the life insurance giant also indicated that a significant number of people in the UK are flexible with the truth when applying for either life cover or a critical illness policy.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
Alcohol can cause 'inappropriately low blood sugar' in diabetics
07 January 2008 13:24:40
Swedish scientists believe they have uncovered the mystery behind a recognised clinical problem faced by diabetes sufferers.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute concluded that drinking alcohol can lead to exaggerated insulin secretion, resulting in severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Described in the latest issue of Endocrinology, the mechanism explains how alcohol ingestion may harm the human brain by decreasing blood glucose concentration to inappropriately low levels, thereby contributing to sufferers' reduced chances of finding cheap life insurance or critical illness cover.
Lead investigator Ake Sjoholm pointed out that the discovery may explain the hypoglycemic properties of alcohol in diabetic patients or in alcoholics with liver failure.
"Alcohol intake might provoke sustained hypoglycemia in type-two diabetes patients being treated with hypoglycemic sulfonylureas because many of these drugs have a long biological half-life," he explained.
"Furthermore, many alcoholics are malnourished and/or have liver cirrhosis and might therefore be unable to mount a gluconeogenetic response to hypoglycemia," he added.
Hypoglycemia induced by alcohol ingestion is a familiar clinical problem in people with diabetes.
Meanwhile, research into the obesity experienced by many diabetics has found that a hormone released in response to food may be capable of promoting weight loss and improving insulin resistance.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
25 October 2007 13:30:57
Aids sufferers looking at their critical illness cover options may be interested in the latest research showing the effect of gene variations on the condition's progression.
A study at the University of Texas Health Science Centre challenged the established belief that viral load, or the quantity of virus in an HIV-infected patient's blood, is the main indicator of how soon an individual might be diagnosed with full-blown Aids.
Scientists at the university concluded that people with a combination of two specific genes were more likely to display characteristics pointing to progressive HIV disease.
"The genetic variations contribute nearly as much to the extent of inter-individual variability in Aids progression rates as does HIV-1 viral load," lead researcher Sunil Ahuja told the French Press Agency (AFP).
CCR5, one of the genes in question, helps facilitate HIV entry into a cell while the other, CCL3L1, is an immune response gene.
Other genes that have yet to be fully explored by scientists are believed to play a part in Aids' development.
According to UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation, 39.5 million people across the globe were living with HIV or AIDS at the end of 2006.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
04 January 2008 13:31:03
A large proportion of UK residents risk having their life insurance or critical illness cover cancelled because they mislead providers about the state of their health.
In new research conducted by Norwich Union, it was revealed that out of the 1,460 adults polled, more than half (58 per cent) are embarrassed about their lifestyle, although they are more likely to make false claims than change their bad habits.
Up to one in 14 customers admitted lying about their health and lifestyle when it came to filling in application forms, whether it concerned smoking, drinking, exercise or eating patterns.
Psychologist Corinne Sweet remarked: "People can minimise their bad habits when put on the spot at the doctor's or when registering at the gym because they fear facing the truth about their behaviour.
"The problem is, being economical with the truth about your bad habits means you won't do anything to improve your health.
"Plus, you may be sitting on a health time bomb, like heart disease, without realising until it's too late."
Previous research by the life insurance giant also indicated that a significant number of people in the UK are flexible with the truth when applying for either life cover or a critical illness policy.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online
07 January 2008 13:24:40
Swedish scientists believe they have uncovered the mystery behind a recognised clinical problem faced by diabetes sufferers.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute concluded that drinking alcohol can lead to exaggerated insulin secretion, resulting in severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Described in the latest issue of Endocrinology, the mechanism explains how alcohol ingestion may harm the human brain by decreasing blood glucose concentration to inappropriately low levels, thereby contributing to sufferers' reduced chances of finding cheap life insurance or critical illness cover.
Lead investigator Ake Sjoholm pointed out that the discovery may explain the hypoglycemic properties of alcohol in diabetic patients or in alcoholics with liver failure.
"Alcohol intake might provoke sustained hypoglycemia in type-two diabetes patients being treated with hypoglycemic sulfonylureas because many of these drugs have a long biological half-life," he explained.
"Furthermore, many alcoholics are malnourished and/or have liver cirrhosis and might therefore be unable to mount a gluconeogenetic response to hypoglycemia," he added.
Hypoglycemia induced by alcohol ingestion is a familiar clinical problem in people with diabetes.
Meanwhile, research into the obesity experienced by many diabetics has found that a hormone released in response to food may be capable of promoting weight loss and improving insulin resistance.
Direct Life and Pensions Services Ltd are one of the UK's leading providers of life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection, critical illness and life insurance advice online