If you've searched online for health insurance that covers hairy cell leukaemia then you are probably for looking for established UK based health insurance providers that will cover your hairy cell leukaemia.
Our advice when looking for private medical insurance that covers hairy cell leukaemia is to speak to a insurance broker. Health insurance is incredibly complicated and if you want complete certainty that hairy cell leukaemia is covered you should talk with a health insurance broker who can explain which policy providers will cover this medical condition and which will exclude it.
There are many advantages to using a 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 by you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different areas? Some will give you a cheaper premium than offers. A broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance policy? A broker will know this vital 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 policies?
- You've developed a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the biggest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you so much time and effort.
You can call around every health insurance provider on the market and ask if they cover hairy cell leukaemia, 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 health insurance broker which will know which policy providers on the market cover hairy cell leukaemia and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
Hairy Cell Leukaemia Information
Hairy cell leukaemia is a rare type of long-term (chronic) leukaemia.
The condition gets its name from the fine, hair-like strands that develop around the outside of the cancerous cells and are visible under a microscope.
It's not known what causes hairy cell leukaemia.
Leukaemia is cancer of the white blood cells.
All the body's blood cells, including red and white blood cells and platelets, are produced by bone marrow. Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside the bones. It also produces special cells called stem cells.
In leukaemia, the cancer begins in the stem cells and causes them to produce more white blood cells than are needed. Over time, the build-up of cancerous white blood cells disrupts the normal balance of cells in the blood.
This means your body doesn't have enough red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, or platelets, which help stop bleeding. This can lead to the symptoms of anaemia, such as tiredness, shortness of breath and feeling faint, as well as increasing the risk of excessive bleeding.
Also, as the white blood cells aren't properly developed, they're less effective at fighting bacteria and viruses, making you more vulnerable to infection.
The symptoms of hairy cell leukaemia develop slowly and are similar to those of other types of leukaemia. They include:
The abnormal white blood cells can accumulate in your spleen, causing it to increase in size. The spleen is an organ in the upper left side of your abdomen, behind your stomach and ribs.
If your spleen is enlarged, it's likely you'll have a painful lump on the left side of your abdomen. If this is the case, you should visit your GP so the lump can be examined.
An enlarged spleen may remove normal blood cells from your bloodstream. This can lead to a further reduction in the number of normal red and white blood cells and platelets in your blood.
If your GP suspects leukaemia, they may refer you to a haematologist (a specialist in blood disorders).
The haematologist will carry out blood tests to determine how many different types of blood cells there are in your blood sample. This is known as a full blood count (FBC) and will indicate the number of abnormal white blood cells you have.
If you have hairy cell leukaemia, it's likely your red blood cell and platelet counts will be low.