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Home / Critical illness cover / - Loss of Speech
Definition
Total permanent and irreversible loss of the ability to speak as a result of physical injury or disease.
What does this mean?
Loss of speech may be caused if the vocal chords are damaged in an accident or by a disease such as cancer of the larynx. The loss must be total, permanent and irreversible. Therefore a claim would not be paid if the loss was only partial or was a temporary condition. It is possible for the power of speech to be lost without physical damage to the vocal chords, possibly because of a severe mental trauma or shock. However, in such cases it is nearly impossible to determine whether the loss is permanent and therefore a claim would not be paid.
NEWS
Immune system may cause dangerous condition in pregnancy
28 July 2008 18:33:58
The immune system may cause the condition pre-eclampsia, which can be potentially dangerous for pregnant women.
Scientists have discovered that immune molecules found in the body could trigger the condition, which affects one in 20 pregnancies, the BBC reported.
"It's very interesting research, and there is other research suggesting that the immune system is involved in pre-eclampsia," consultant obstetrician at St James's University Hospital in Leeds told the BBC.
New treatments and tests for the condition could be developed in response to the new findings.
Additional research has found that women with many sexual partners or those who have suffered from the condition before are also prone to pre-eclampsia.
Symptoms of the condition include high blood pressure and protein in the urine and it usually starts in the 20th week of pregnancy.
The condition is not very easily treated, which is why people should be encouraged to take out UK life insurance.
This follows news that pregnant women are being told to avoid certain foods, such as soft cheese, cold meat, pate and smoked fish due to the risk of listeriosis.
Pregnant women may want to take out life insurance policies.
Govt plans crackdown on teenage smoking
02 June 2008 17:50:46
The government's plans to curb under age smoking are creating a mixed response from those that question the efficacy of their tactics.
A paper entitled 'The Future of Tobacco Control' produced by the Department of Health has been published with the aim of deterring young smokers.
Some campaigners say there is little evidence that the measures proposed by the government will work.
Dawn Primarolo, public health minister, said: "Protecting children from smoking is a government priority and taking away temptation is one way to do this."
Proposals include removing branding and logos from cigarette packets, restricting the display of tobacco in shops, and banning advertising of items such as lighters.
Another idea put forward is to only sell cigarettes in packs of 20 as teenagers, they say, can often only afford packs of ten.
Over 200,000 children under the age of 16 start smoking each year and age is an important factor in determining fatality rates in smokers.
Those that start to smoke before they are 16 are three times more likely to die of cancer than someone who started in their mid-20s.
Heart attack survival rate increase
30 January 2008 17:40:22
Official figures from Scotland have revealed that the number of people surviving heart attacks has risen.
The statistics showed that at the end of last year, 85.8 per cent of people taken into hospital in need of emergency treatment following a heart attack were alive 30 days later, the Press Association reports.
According to the news provider, this compares with 81.2 per cent of patients in 1998.
In related news, Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation suggested that a "combination of moderate drinking and physical activity appears to be a winning one in reducing the risk of fatal heart disease".
Ms Mason made her comments following a report published in the European Heart Journal which found that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are active are less at risk of heart disease than those who do not drink at all.
However, the expert noted that physical activity has been shown to offer greater health benefits than drinking alcohol.
28 July 2008 18:33:58
The immune system may cause the condition pre-eclampsia, which can be potentially dangerous for pregnant women.
Scientists have discovered that immune molecules found in the body could trigger the condition, which affects one in 20 pregnancies, the BBC reported.
"It's very interesting research, and there is other research suggesting that the immune system is involved in pre-eclampsia," consultant obstetrician at St James's University Hospital in Leeds told the BBC.
New treatments and tests for the condition could be developed in response to the new findings.
Additional research has found that women with many sexual partners or those who have suffered from the condition before are also prone to pre-eclampsia.
Symptoms of the condition include high blood pressure and protein in the urine and it usually starts in the 20th week of pregnancy.
The condition is not very easily treated, which is why people should be encouraged to take out UK life insurance.
This follows news that pregnant women are being told to avoid certain foods, such as soft cheese, cold meat, pate and smoked fish due to the risk of listeriosis.
Pregnant women may want to take out life insurance policies.
02 June 2008 17:50:46
The government's plans to curb under age smoking are creating a mixed response from those that question the efficacy of their tactics.
A paper entitled 'The Future of Tobacco Control' produced by the Department of Health has been published with the aim of deterring young smokers.
Some campaigners say there is little evidence that the measures proposed by the government will work.
Dawn Primarolo, public health minister, said: "Protecting children from smoking is a government priority and taking away temptation is one way to do this."
Proposals include removing branding and logos from cigarette packets, restricting the display of tobacco in shops, and banning advertising of items such as lighters.
Another idea put forward is to only sell cigarettes in packs of 20 as teenagers, they say, can often only afford packs of ten.
Over 200,000 children under the age of 16 start smoking each year and age is an important factor in determining fatality rates in smokers.
Those that start to smoke before they are 16 are three times more likely to die of cancer than someone who started in their mid-20s.
30 January 2008 17:40:22
Official figures from Scotland have revealed that the number of people surviving heart attacks has risen.
The statistics showed that at the end of last year, 85.8 per cent of people taken into hospital in need of emergency treatment following a heart attack were alive 30 days later, the Press Association reports.
According to the news provider, this compares with 81.2 per cent of patients in 1998.
In related news, Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation suggested that a "combination of moderate drinking and physical activity appears to be a winning one in reducing the risk of fatal heart disease".
Ms Mason made her comments following a report published in the European Heart Journal which found that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are active are less at risk of heart disease than those who do not drink at all.
However, the expert noted that physical activity has been shown to offer greater health benefits than drinking alcohol.