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Home / Critical illness cover / - Loss of Limbs
Definition
The permanent physical severance of two or more limbs from above the wrist or ankle joint.
What does this mean?
Loss of limbs could be caused by an accident or because of an illness.
NEWS
'Millions to be affected by Alzheimer's'
19 March 2008 17:14:32
Millions of people from the baby boom generation will develop Alzheimer's disease, figures show.
According to a report by the Alzheimer's Association, 10 million American baby boomers - one in every eight - will develop Alzheimer's in their lifetime, Medical News Today reports.
A new person develops the disease every 71 seconds in the US - a figure set to rise to every 33 seconds by 2050 - which may impact upon their life insurance policies.
The report also estimates that as many as 5.2 million people are living with Alzheimer's in the United States, including up to 250,000 under the age of 65.
Stephen McConnell, the Alzheimer's Association's vice president for advocacy and public policy, told the Washington Post that although most Alzheimer's carers are spouses of the sufferers, "there's evidence that 250,000 of these caregivers are children eight to 18".
"So you get the sense of an expanded circle of people who are affected by this disease. It's not just the person with the disease. It's not just their immediate caregiver: it's the children and grandchildren," he added.
The disease was placed as the seventh leading cause of death for all Americans, and the fifth leading cause for those over the age of 65 in the report.
According to the Alzheimer's Society, 700,000 people in the UK live with dementia.
The report, Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, is published in Alzheimer's and Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
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
New units for biomedical research announced
09 April 2008 17:32:14
The Department of Health has announced the creation of twelve new Biomedical Research Units to help prevent, diagnose and treat critical illnesses.
Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said the move was at the forefront of a £45 million government drive to combat illnesses such as heart disease, asthma and obesity - conditions which may affect life insurance policies.
The new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Units will focus on "translational research", taking advances in basic medical research out of the laboratory and into the hospital clinic to ensure that patients benefit more quickly from new scientific breakthroughs.
Areas which have traditionally received relatively limited amounts of research funding will be the focus of the scheme.
"The new funding will also enable high quality research to flourish in smaller centres across the country," said Ms Primarolo.
She added: "This will strengthen our drive to put the UK at the forefront of vital health research and contribute to the nation's international reputation as a centre for excellence."
The news follows the launch of a £372 million government strategy to encourage children and adults to live healthier lives.
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
Passive smokers have increased heart disease risk within 30 minutes
20 May 2008 18:11:27
People who breathe in second-hand tobacco smoke run the risk of damaging their arteries within just 30 minutes of exposure, new research has suggested.
Trials due to be discussed at the forthcoming XVI World Congress of Cardiology have revealed that within this short space of time, passively inhaling smoke can create changes in the arteries which can increase the risk of heart failure.
In addition, it was found that people who passively smoke have a 30 per cent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Dr Joaquin Barnoya, research director of the Cardiovascular Surgery Unit of Guatemala, said that the results are worrying because "the longer the arteries of non-smokers are exposed to tobacco smoke, the more they will behave like the arteries of smokers".
He explained: "We know that just 30 minutes' exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke is enough to produce an observable change in the arterial function of non-smokers. Passive tobacco smoke directly damages the endothelium, which is the internal wall of the arteries, responsible for their dilation and contraction."
Dr Barnoya went on to say that the findings are a fair indication that smoke-free environments are a good thing and can be linked to a decrease in heart disease in places like California.
19 March 2008 17:14:32
Millions of people from the baby boom generation will develop Alzheimer's disease, figures show.
According to a report by the Alzheimer's Association, 10 million American baby boomers - one in every eight - will develop Alzheimer's in their lifetime, Medical News Today reports.
A new person develops the disease every 71 seconds in the US - a figure set to rise to every 33 seconds by 2050 - which may impact upon their life insurance policies.
The report also estimates that as many as 5.2 million people are living with Alzheimer's in the United States, including up to 250,000 under the age of 65.
Stephen McConnell, the Alzheimer's Association's vice president for advocacy and public policy, told the Washington Post that although most Alzheimer's carers are spouses of the sufferers, "there's evidence that 250,000 of these caregivers are children eight to 18".
"So you get the sense of an expanded circle of people who are affected by this disease. It's not just the person with the disease. It's not just their immediate caregiver: it's the children and grandchildren," he added.
The disease was placed as the seventh leading cause of death for all Americans, and the fifth leading cause for those over the age of 65 in the report.
According to the Alzheimer's Society, 700,000 people in the UK live with dementia.
The report, Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, is published in Alzheimer's and Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
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
09 April 2008 17:32:14
The Department of Health has announced the creation of twelve new Biomedical Research Units to help prevent, diagnose and treat critical illnesses.
Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said the move was at the forefront of a £45 million government drive to combat illnesses such as heart disease, asthma and obesity - conditions which may affect life insurance policies.
The new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Units will focus on "translational research", taking advances in basic medical research out of the laboratory and into the hospital clinic to ensure that patients benefit more quickly from new scientific breakthroughs.
Areas which have traditionally received relatively limited amounts of research funding will be the focus of the scheme.
"The new funding will also enable high quality research to flourish in smaller centres across the country," said Ms Primarolo.
She added: "This will strengthen our drive to put the UK at the forefront of vital health research and contribute to the nation's international reputation as a centre for excellence."
The news follows the launch of a £372 million government strategy to encourage children and adults to live healthier lives.
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
20 May 2008 18:11:27
People who breathe in second-hand tobacco smoke run the risk of damaging their arteries within just 30 minutes of exposure, new research has suggested.
Trials due to be discussed at the forthcoming XVI World Congress of Cardiology have revealed that within this short space of time, passively inhaling smoke can create changes in the arteries which can increase the risk of heart failure.
In addition, it was found that people who passively smoke have a 30 per cent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Dr Joaquin Barnoya, research director of the Cardiovascular Surgery Unit of Guatemala, said that the results are worrying because "the longer the arteries of non-smokers are exposed to tobacco smoke, the more they will behave like the arteries of smokers".
He explained: "We know that just 30 minutes' exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke is enough to produce an observable change in the arterial function of non-smokers. Passive tobacco smoke directly damages the endothelium, which is the internal wall of the arteries, responsible for their dilation and contraction."
Dr Barnoya went on to say that the findings are a fair indication that smoke-free environments are a good thing and can be linked to a decrease in heart disease in places like California.