There are different forms of diabetes. Type I diabetes usually develops in childhood or adolescence ...
There are different forms of diabetes. Type I diabetes usually develops in childhood or adolescence and the patient will almost always require regular treatment with insulin.
Type II diabetes is commonly, though not exclusively, associated with obesity, and usually arises in older ages. Insulin is not usually required and treatment may be with drugs or just by watching diet.
The underwriter will need to know the type, what treatment is being given, how well the condition is controlled and whether there are any complications.
Complications include heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and damage to the nervous system. All have the potential to be serious and have a marked effect on the applicant's health. Diabetic retinopathy (eye disease) remains the most common cause of acquired blindness in developed countries. Ulcers and infections of the foot are not uncommon and may lead to gangrene, requiring amputation.
Any diabetic who applies for CI and already has any complications will almost certainly be declined. It is not likely that a 'diabetic exclusion' would be considered, since most of the illnesses covered would be precluded from cover by virtue of the complications arising.
Where CI cover is offered it will be on a selective case-by-case basis, depending on the age of the applicant, the age at which diabetes was diagnosed, and the type of cover required. In the best cases, short-term cover (five to 10 years) may be offered, but a loading would be applied.
A less serious form of diabetes is gestational diabetes ' which affects some pregnant women. Although needing careful control during pregnancy, the condition usually resolves itself after the birth.
