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Home / Critical illness cover / - Multiple Sclerosis
Bakground information
There are currently approximately 85,000 people with MS.
Each year, around 2,500 individuals are newly diagnosed.
MS is the most common neurological disorder among young adults.
People are usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but can be older. (Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2002)
Definition
A definite diagnosis by a Consultant Neurologist of Multiple sclerosis which satisfies all of the following criteria:
- there must be current impairment of motor or sensory function, which must have persisted for a continuous period of at least six months; and
- the diagnosis must be confirmed by diagnostic techniques current at the time of the claim.
What does this mean?
MS is an incurable disease of the central nervous system. Nerve fibres are normally covered by a myelin sheath, which protects and insulates them. In MS this sheath degenerates which interrupts the smooth transmission of nerve impulses around the body, leading to lack of co-ordination and sensory impairment.
NEWS
Dementia care should be a 'national priority'
12 June 2007 15:34:24
The Alzheimer's Society has said that more effort is needed to manage the rising incidence of dementia in the UK.
Some 700,000 Britons currently suffer from the illness and with this number expected to increase, the charity argued that "a lot more needs to be done" to improve dementia care.
A spokesperson said that though around two-thirds of care home residents suffered from dementia, only one in ten care home staff had specific dementia training.
She said: "It's amazing that there are already 700,000 people in the UK with dementia, that it's going to increase and yet there's no strategy and there's no thought at the moment going into how we can actually cope with this disease.
"What we want to see is obviously that it becomes a national priority, that you see improvements in dementia care…that the Government starts to look and develop proper community support and look into comprehensive dementia care models."
She concluded: "One in three people are ending their life with dementia and when you look at statistics like that [and] we're all living longer…we're doing so well in other areas, why isn't the Government looking at dementia now?"
The comments followed a recent report from the Mental Welfare Commission which stressed the urgent need for patient-specific care for sufferers of dementia.
Cancer increase makes critical illness cover vital
14 June 2007 15:21:51
The importance of taking out comprehensive critical illness cover has been outlined by the rising incidence of prostate cancer in the UK.
The Institute of Cancer Research has confirmed that prostate cancer is now the most common male cancer, having overtaken lung cancer as more and more Britons quit smoking.
According to a spokesperson, the need for critical illness insurance and regular health checks is essential, with "more than 32,000 men being diagnosed each year and around 10,000 men dying from the disease."
The research organisation said that greater awareness of prostate cancer is needed to aid early detection of the illness and to "break down taboos".
"A recent survey by the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign found that men are less keen to talk about their health than women," the spokesperson said.
"The survey found that nearly one-third of men questioned would be too embarrassed to speak to their male friends about their prostate cancer concerns and only one in ten thought men were as informed about male health issues as women are about female health."
New study shows improved cancer predictions
31 January 2008 17:43:22
Medical techniques using biomarker assessments have made new progress in predicting people's susceptibility to cancer, it has emerged.
The likelihood of prostate cancer virulence in patients has been assessed under a new model using an individual's Gleason score and biomarker assessment data.
Published online in the BMC Medical Genomics journal, researchers at the University of Texas, US, were able to detect "significant differences" in the molecular signatures linked to varying grades of tumours linked to prostate cancer.
The biomarker data included cell cycle and cell death regulators that are known to be expressed during stages of the disease.
Valuable information regarding the risk of disease progression has been discovered, said Dr Timothy McDonnell, lead researcher at the university.
"With this type of information patients could be more appropriately managed based on their individual risk profile," he added.
National prostate cancer awareness week 2008 takes place between March 10th and 16th, organised by the prostate cancer charity.
12 June 2007 15:34:24
The Alzheimer's Society has said that more effort is needed to manage the rising incidence of dementia in the UK.
Some 700,000 Britons currently suffer from the illness and with this number expected to increase, the charity argued that "a lot more needs to be done" to improve dementia care.
A spokesperson said that though around two-thirds of care home residents suffered from dementia, only one in ten care home staff had specific dementia training.
She said: "It's amazing that there are already 700,000 people in the UK with dementia, that it's going to increase and yet there's no strategy and there's no thought at the moment going into how we can actually cope with this disease.
"What we want to see is obviously that it becomes a national priority, that you see improvements in dementia care…that the Government starts to look and develop proper community support and look into comprehensive dementia care models."
She concluded: "One in three people are ending their life with dementia and when you look at statistics like that [and] we're all living longer…we're doing so well in other areas, why isn't the Government looking at dementia now?"
The comments followed a recent report from the Mental Welfare Commission which stressed the urgent need for patient-specific care for sufferers of dementia.
14 June 2007 15:21:51
The importance of taking out comprehensive critical illness cover has been outlined by the rising incidence of prostate cancer in the UK.
The Institute of Cancer Research has confirmed that prostate cancer is now the most common male cancer, having overtaken lung cancer as more and more Britons quit smoking.
According to a spokesperson, the need for critical illness insurance and regular health checks is essential, with "more than 32,000 men being diagnosed each year and around 10,000 men dying from the disease."
The research organisation said that greater awareness of prostate cancer is needed to aid early detection of the illness and to "break down taboos".
"A recent survey by the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign found that men are less keen to talk about their health than women," the spokesperson said.
"The survey found that nearly one-third of men questioned would be too embarrassed to speak to their male friends about their prostate cancer concerns and only one in ten thought men were as informed about male health issues as women are about female health."
31 January 2008 17:43:22
Medical techniques using biomarker assessments have made new progress in predicting people's susceptibility to cancer, it has emerged.
The likelihood of prostate cancer virulence in patients has been assessed under a new model using an individual's Gleason score and biomarker assessment data.
Published online in the BMC Medical Genomics journal, researchers at the University of Texas, US, were able to detect "significant differences" in the molecular signatures linked to varying grades of tumours linked to prostate cancer.
The biomarker data included cell cycle and cell death regulators that are known to be expressed during stages of the disease.
Valuable information regarding the risk of disease progression has been discovered, said Dr Timothy McDonnell, lead researcher at the university.
"With this type of information patients could be more appropriately managed based on their individual risk profile," he added.
National prostate cancer awareness week 2008 takes place between March 10th and 16th, organised by the prostate cancer charity.