Home / Critical illness cover / - Parkinson’s Disease
Background information
There are more than 120,000 people who have Parkinson's - that's 1 in every 500 people - and this figure is rising.
Around 10,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's each year.
Most people are diagnosed over the age of 60, but it is estimated that 1 in 20 people with Parkinson's are under age 40 when diagnosed and 1 in 7 are under 50. (Parkinson's Disease Society, 2002)
Definition
Confirmation by a Consultant Neurologist of a definite diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease secondary to drug misuse is not covered.
What does this mean?
Parkinson’s disease causes a disturbance of voluntary movement. It causes tremors in the limbs and head and rigidity of the muscles. The condition usually takes a long time to progress and some drugs are available which can slow the process down even further. But treatment becomes less effective as time goes by. For a claim to be paid the onset of Parkinson’s disease must be idiopathic. This means it must have developed naturally rather than because of some other medical treatment or illness.
26 February 2008 17:07:39
Scientists have identified ways in which smoking affects the behaviour of genes - which could lead to new treatments for lung cancers.
The research, which scientists claim "should provide greater insight into the development of cellular targets for treating, and possibly preventing, lung cancer", may affect life insurance policies.
Researchers, from America's National Cancer Institute (NCI), discovered that smoking influences the way genes are expressed, leading to alterations in cell division and immune response, reports Medical News Today.
Some of the changes to gene expression persisted in people who had stopped smoking several years earlier.
"Smoking, we are well aware, is the leading cause of lung cancer worldwide," said NCI Director John Niederhuber.
"Yet, a mechanistic understanding of the effects of smoking on the cells of the lung remains incomplete. This study demonstrates an important piece of this complicated puzzle," he continued.
These findings were published in the February 20th edition of PLoS ONE.
According to Cancer Research UK, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the country with more than 38,000 people diagnosed each year.
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02 July 2008 17:03:39
A baby born with half a heart has just two weeks to live unless a donor can be found, doctors have told his parents.
Born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Theo Davies is currently on a life support machine which can only keep him alive for a short period of time, unless he has a transplant.
Talking about her desperation, Theo's mother Rebecca Giles, said: "People say 'Oh, it must be a nightmare for you'. But it's worse than that. I can't think of a worse situation to be in."
She continued: "Our child will die in two weeks unless we can find a heart donor. But to find another heart for Theo means that another child will die."
Theo has already had to endure five major operations since he was born and survived his heart stopping for an hour last week.
Surgeons in the US are about to undertake the first implantation of a Jarvik heart pump which, it is hoped, could help to solve a shortage of donor hearts.
One of the biggest difficulties facing people with heart problems is securing regular life insurance.
14 August 2007 16:50:19
UK sufferers of mental health illnesses, such as schizophrenia, dementia and Alzheimer's disease do not receive sufficient care, according to a new study.
The UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Wellbeing in Later Life estimated that more than 3.5 million older people are affected by mental health issues, but called the current level of care "inadequate in range, in quantity and in quality".
Dr June Crown, chairman of the inquiry, said that the NHS needed to install new measures to better help UK residents with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, or other forms of dementia.
"Mental health problems in later life are not an inevitable part of ageing," she commented.
"They are often preventable and treatable, and action to improve the lives of older people who experience mental health difficulties is long overdue."
Chris Ball, chair of the Older People Subgroup of the Mental Health Network, commented on the report's recommendations, which include amelioration of housing and social services, greater leadership from the government and tackling age discrimination.
"It is vital that we tackle the issues of discrimination and stigma in mental health at all levels - both in the context of provision and in wider society," he said.
"The Mental Health Network will be working hard with members to make sure the work of the report is taken forward for the benefit of service users - especially in the areas of commissioning, care homes and acute hospitals."
