Critical Illness Articles
Which Serious Illnesses Are You At Risk From ?
One out of three deaths in the UK stem from cardiovascular disease every year, making coronary heart disease and stroke the most common cause of mortality in the country. According to the British Heart Foundation, one in five males and one in seven females will die from cardiovascular disease.
Beyond cardiovascular disease, there are a myriad of dread diseases and injuries that can be devastating for an individual, physically, emotionally, and financially. With so many people suffering from serious ailments, it brings up the question: how do they make a living while disabled and not working ?
Critical illness cover can provide benefits that help a patient survive financially. This is an insurance policy that offers a single lump sum benefit to the insured who is diagnosed with a disease, illness, or injury listed in the policy.
But what types of disease or injuries are covered? The main core illnesses and injuries for most critical illness covers include heart disease, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis, major organ failure or transplant, head trauma, and paralysis. What is your risk for these diseases or injuries ?
Heart Disease
Every year, nearly 200,000 people die of a cardiovascular disease in the UK. In addition, about 30,000 men and women undergo coronary artery bypass surgeries each year. 14,000 coronary angioplasty surgeries are performed each year as well. The worst news about heart disease is that it is the most common cause of early death.
Is there any good news? At least two-thirds of those who suffer their first heart attacks will survive at least another five years. This statistic still gives hope to those who may suffer a heart attack.
Given the risks of heart disease, for those who suffer a serious heart attack and do survive, how will they arrange their finances without critical illness cover ?
Cancer
About 250,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. 1 out of every 3 people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime. Of those who are diagnosed with cancer, 1 in 4 will die. Over 150,000 die from some form of cancer each year.
Half of all diagnosed cancers are cancers of the breast, lung, colorectal, or prostate. 1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer some time during their life.
However, more people than ever are surviving cancer. 60% of women diagnosed with cancer will survive at least another five years.
Stroke
It is estimated that 5 out of 100 men and 3 out of 100 women will suffer a stroke between the ages of 40 and 70. About 100,000 people each year are stroke sufferers, and 10% of those are people under retirement age.
Of those who suffer a stroke, about one-third will die, one-third will be left seriously disabled, and the last one-third will make a good recovery.
Other Critical Illnesses
While cardiovascular disease, cancer, and stroke are the most common risks, there are still a myriad of dread diseases :
- 85,000 UK residents have multiple sclerosis, with 2,500 new cases diagnosed each year.
- 31,000 patients suffer from renal (kidney) failure each year.
- About 1 million head injuries are treated each year. 45% of serious head injury sufferers will never return to work.
With these statistics in mind, it is clear that if you have a financial responsibility to yourself or others, critical illness cover is a wise choice to protect your financial future. Talk to an independent financial advisor to get the best policy for your needs.
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