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Home / Critical illness cover / - Third Degree Burns
Definition
Third degree burns covering at least 20% of the body surface area.
What does this mean?
Third degree burns are the most serious type of burn. They involve the destruction of the full thickness of the skin and can cause damage to the fat, muscle and bone.
NEWS
Protect your future with life insurance
04 July 2007 15:16:55
While it might seem morbid to consider the effect of tragedy on your family, it makes a great deal of financial sense to think about life insurance.
According to Eugene C Gordon, CEO of US life cover provider LifeQuote, protecting your family's future could be one of the most important decisions you ever make.
Speaking at the launch of Life Insurance Awareness Month in Miami, Florida yesterday, Mr Gordon said:
"Death is a topic of conversation most families avoid but having life insurance (term life insurance) coverage could someday prevent a financial tragedy."
Yet according to November 2006 research by UK insurer Bright Grey, only 53 per cent of British adults have any form of life insurance cover.
With life insurance premiums falling steadily over the past few years, as medical advancements increase life expectancy, there's only one road to take when thinking about your family's future and that's ensuring that in the event of your death, they'll be able to survive financially.
Of course, your own lifestyle is likely to affect the cost of your insurance premium, so getting into shape can help your wallet as well as your health.
Jonathan French of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) recently explained the benefits of pursuing a healthy lifestyle, confirming that "lifestyle factors in general play a part in the assessment that insurance companies do on people when they apply for life or protection insurance".
Many insurers assess the potential risks associated with a policyholder by measuring their Body Mass Index - Mr French confirms that "factors like obesity will be taken into account".
Quitting smoking in the wake of the new ban could also save you money, as well as improving your life expectancy.
However, many insurers will only lower premiums if the policyholder has steered clear of the evil weed for a protracted period, likely to be at least six months.
But if you're serious about giving up cigarettes, you're likely to notice the benefit in both your fitness and your bank account.
A recent survey from advice website find.co.uk revealed that kicking the habit could save you around £64 per year in life insurance costs.
While a 35-year-old male smoker would pay around £13.50 per month for a 20-year level term policy with an assured sum of £100,000, a non-smoker would pay £8 every month - this adds up to a saving of almost £1,300 over the 20-year term.
Mr French confirmed that insurers are unlikely to turn away applicants for life cover if they are obese or smoke, but added that making lifestyle changes would certainly prove beneficial.
"One important thing that people should remember is," he said, "if, when they applied for their insurance policy, there were lifestyle factors which they had declared, like obesity, and…those individuals make lifestyle changes which reduces obesity, for example, then if they let their insurance company know that then there is likely to be a reassessment of premiums, which doesn't happen the other way round."
"The policies are underwritten at the point of application not at the point of claim."
Sleep apnea sufferers more likely to have low blood oxygen during flights
20 May 2008 18:10:43
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients are more prone to suffering from low blood oxygen and high stress levels, which can lead to increased risk of heart failure, when travelling by aeroplane.
That is according to a new study carried out by Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney, Australia which indicated that those with sleep apnea could need to have extra oxygen when flying.
The findings of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Toronto, Canada on Sunday, May 18th.
Led by Dr Leigh Seccombe, the research involved 22 OSA patients (who did not have lung disease) and ten healthy controls who sat in a flight simulator. Each of the participants was tested for their physiological responses and how much oxygen was circulating in their blood.
It was found that, if guidelines for patients with lung disease were followed, 11 of the 22 OSA patients would need extra oxygen while flying.
Commenting on their findings, the researchers concluded: "Patients with OSA, without lung disease, are more likely to develop significant hypoxemia [low blood oxygen] and have increased oxygen demands during flight. Ventilatory response was not impaired."
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.
04 July 2007 15:16:55
While it might seem morbid to consider the effect of tragedy on your family, it makes a great deal of financial sense to think about life insurance.
According to Eugene C Gordon, CEO of US life cover provider LifeQuote, protecting your family's future could be one of the most important decisions you ever make.
Speaking at the launch of Life Insurance Awareness Month in Miami, Florida yesterday, Mr Gordon said:
"Death is a topic of conversation most families avoid but having life insurance (term life insurance) coverage could someday prevent a financial tragedy."
Yet according to November 2006 research by UK insurer Bright Grey, only 53 per cent of British adults have any form of life insurance cover.
With life insurance premiums falling steadily over the past few years, as medical advancements increase life expectancy, there's only one road to take when thinking about your family's future and that's ensuring that in the event of your death, they'll be able to survive financially.
Of course, your own lifestyle is likely to affect the cost of your insurance premium, so getting into shape can help your wallet as well as your health.
Jonathan French of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) recently explained the benefits of pursuing a healthy lifestyle, confirming that "lifestyle factors in general play a part in the assessment that insurance companies do on people when they apply for life or protection insurance".
Many insurers assess the potential risks associated with a policyholder by measuring their Body Mass Index - Mr French confirms that "factors like obesity will be taken into account".
Quitting smoking in the wake of the new ban could also save you money, as well as improving your life expectancy.
However, many insurers will only lower premiums if the policyholder has steered clear of the evil weed for a protracted period, likely to be at least six months.
But if you're serious about giving up cigarettes, you're likely to notice the benefit in both your fitness and your bank account.
A recent survey from advice website find.co.uk revealed that kicking the habit could save you around £64 per year in life insurance costs.
While a 35-year-old male smoker would pay around £13.50 per month for a 20-year level term policy with an assured sum of £100,000, a non-smoker would pay £8 every month - this adds up to a saving of almost £1,300 over the 20-year term.
Mr French confirmed that insurers are unlikely to turn away applicants for life cover if they are obese or smoke, but added that making lifestyle changes would certainly prove beneficial.
"One important thing that people should remember is," he said, "if, when they applied for their insurance policy, there were lifestyle factors which they had declared, like obesity, and…those individuals make lifestyle changes which reduces obesity, for example, then if they let their insurance company know that then there is likely to be a reassessment of premiums, which doesn't happen the other way round."
"The policies are underwritten at the point of application not at the point of claim."
20 May 2008 18:10:43
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients are more prone to suffering from low blood oxygen and high stress levels, which can lead to increased risk of heart failure, when travelling by aeroplane.
That is according to a new study carried out by Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney, Australia which indicated that those with sleep apnea could need to have extra oxygen when flying.
The findings of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Toronto, Canada on Sunday, May 18th.
Led by Dr Leigh Seccombe, the research involved 22 OSA patients (who did not have lung disease) and ten healthy controls who sat in a flight simulator. Each of the participants was tested for their physiological responses and how much oxygen was circulating in their blood.
It was found that, if guidelines for patients with lung disease were followed, 11 of the 22 OSA patients would need extra oxygen while flying.
Commenting on their findings, the researchers concluded: "Patients with OSA, without lung disease, are more likely to develop significant hypoxemia [low blood oxygen] and have increased oxygen demands during flight. Ventilatory response was not impaired."
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.