If you've searched the internet for health insurance that covers chronic pancreatitis then you are most likely for looking for established UK based health insurance companies that will cover chronic pancreatitis.
Our advice when looking for private medical cover that covers chronic pancreatitis is to speak to a insurance broker. Health insurance is extremely complicated and if you want complete certainty that chronic pancreatitis is covered by your policy you should talk with a health insurance broker who can explain which policy providers will cover this medical condition and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a insurance broker but the largest by far is that you're using their expertise at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different postcodes? Some will give you a lower premium than offers. A broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance claim? A broker will know this critical information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your insurance policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different insurance policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the largest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you huge amounts of time and effort.
You can call around every medical insurance provider on the market and ask if they cover chronic pancreatitis, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its much quicker to speak to one medical insurance broker which will know which providers on the market cover chronic pancreatitis and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
Chronic Pancreatitis Information
Chronic pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas (a small organ located behind the stomach and below the ribcage) becomes permanently damaged from inflammation.
It's different to acute pancreatitis, where the inflammation is only short-term.
The most common symptom of chronic pancreatitis is repeated episodes of abdominal (tummy) pain, which can be severe.
Other symptoms tend to develop as the damage to the pancreas progresses, such as producing greasy, foul-smelling stools.
Read more about the symptoms of chronic pancreatitis and diagnosing chronic pancreatitis.
Always visit your GP if you're experiencing severe pain – it's a warning sign that something is wrong.
Long-term alcohol misuse is responsible for around 7 out of every 10 cases of chronic pancreatitis. This is because heavy drinking over a number of years can repeatedly damage the pancreas.
Less common causes include:
In as many as 3 out of 10 people with the condition, the cause cannot be identified – this is known as "idiopathic" chronic pancreatitis.
Read more about the causes of chronic pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis can affect people of any age, but is most common in middle-aged men aged between 45 and 54.
Between 2012 and 2013, over 35,000 people visited hospitals in England with the condition.
In most cases of chronic pancreatitis, there's no specific treatment to reduce the inflammation and repair the damage to the pancreas.
Treatment mainly focuses on lifestyle changes (see below) and medication to relieve the pain. Surgery is sometimes needed to treat severe chronic pain that doesn't respond to painkillers.
However, the pain can be difficult to treat and can seriously affect your quality of life.