Brain Tumour and Tinnitus Awareness 2022

Brain Tumour and Tinnitus Awareness 2022

With March being Brain Tumour Awareness Month and February having Tinnitus Awareness Week, we thought it would be quite fitting to talk through exactly what they are, and what a diagnosis could mean for your options when it comes to protection insurance.

You might be wondering why we are combining the two, but tinnitus can actually be a symptom of some brain tumours.

Brain Tumours

There are more than 16,000 people diagnosed with a brain tumour each year in the UK, which is why it’s worth people knowing more about the symptoms and what to look out for.  

That’s 43 people every day.

In order to raise awareness, Wear A Hat Day takes place each year, encouraging people to come together in a lighthearted way to raise funds for such an important cause.

A brain tumour is a growth in the brain or its supporting tissues and there are over 120 different types. Unlike many other health conditions, it’s not so easy to pinpoint the exact causes of a brain tumour. Like always, it is recommended that we try to live a healthy lifestyle to the best of our ability, as 3% of brain tumours are avoidable. Over the years there have been some risk factors that have come to light, such as age, family history and certain genetic conditions (NHS Choices, 2019).

Brain tumours are categorised by grade, with grade 1 and 2 being a low, non cancerous (benign) tumour and grade 3 and 4 being high grade, cancerous (malignant) tumours. Symptoms of a brain tumour can vary from person to person and also might depend on the type of tumour you have. Some people might experience worsened vision, nausea, loss of balance or changes in their personality or behaviour (Brain Tumour Research, n.d.). 

The treatment recommended depends on the type of tumour, where it is and how big it is, as well as a couple of other factors. It could be that your treatment is something such as a prescription for medication, surgery or chemotherapy.

Thanks to all of the great research done world-wide, treatment and education of brain tumours has come a long way.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the name for when you hear noises which aren’t coming from the outside world, meaning you can hear noises in your ears or in your head. People with tinnitus can often hear noises such as ringing, throbbing or buzzing and the noises can either come and go or be constant.

Although tinnitus can be a symptom of a brain tumour, it can actually be caused by so many different things, even things such as earwax or an ear infection (NHS, 2017).

Life insurance

Brain tumours

The life insurance available to you after having a brain tumour really does depend on the type of tumour you had and it’s grade. There are some questions which you can expect when applying for insurance:

• When were you diagnosed with having a brain tumour?
• Have you had surgery to remove the tumour?
• Are you due to have surgery?
• Has your hearing or balance been affected?
• Does it affect your daily living?
• Do you use mobility aids?

Depending on the type of tumour that you had, there might be some more specific questions that you’re asked. The insurer will typically request a medical report from your GP to get an overview of your general health.

If you have had a low grade, benign tumour then it could be that life insurance is available to you at standard terms (no price increase), whereas if there has been a higher grade then the insurer might choose to increase the price of the policy. 

It is important to make sure that thorough research is done for you to find an insurer that can consider your application, if the brain tumour has not been removed. This is most likely if the tumour is benign and has shown no signs of growing for a while.

Tinnitus

If you’re applying for life insurance with tinnitus, insurers will actually be looking to see if there’s an underlying cause. Common questions you can expect might be:

• How frequently are your symptoms?
• When were you diagnosed with tinnitus?
• Are you aware of an underlying condition that has caused the tinnitus?
• Does it affect your daily living or ability to work?

If there is no underlying cause and you have no medical conditions then you might be offered life insurance with standard terms. If there is a medical condition causing the tinnitus, the insurer will usually request a medical report from your GP. 

Critical illness cover

Brain tumours

If you had a low grade benign tumour and there has been no lasting complications then you could possibly find critical illness cover with normal terms if a few years have passed. It could be that an exclusion is added to the policy for benign tumours, or if you had any hearing complications then this might also be added as an exclusion. 

Again, the insurer will want to see a medical report from your GP, but this is standard procedure for many different conditions so please don’t be worried if this is asked for.

After having a high grade or malignant tumour, any critical illness cover offered to you is likely to have special terms which will usually include an exclusion, you might find that some insurers postpone or decline your application for a number of years. It is important to check with any exclusion if it is a full cancer exclusion or specifically localised to the brain. Your application will be assessed looking at your medical report to help the insurer make an informed decision.

If your tumour has not been removed it is likely that you will need to apply through specialist insurers for your critical illness cover.

Tinnitus

The application for critical illness cover will be very similar to the application for life insurance, as will the terms that you’re offered.

Insurers will look into your specific symptoms, date of diagnosis and if there has been any underlying causes. This can be available at standard rates depending on your circumstances, but others might see exclusions added to the policy.

Income protection

Brain tumours

For an income protection policy the insurer will want to see a medical report from your GP and cover might be offered to you if a few years have passed since you have had the tumour removed. As well as any questions already mentioned, the insurer will want to know if you had any time off work because of the tumour. 

If you are offered terms then this type of cover will usually come with non-standard terms, meaning there will be a price increase and/or exclusion on the policy. There are some specialist options that would not involved price increases or exclusions, but these have very specific eligibility requirements, that our advisers can talk through with you.

Tinnitus

It’s likely that the insurer will ask about any time off you have had because of the tinnitus, it could be that there’s no price increase on this type of policy but it’s probable that there will be an exclusion relating to deafness or severe tinnitus. 

If you have experienced any of these conditions, it could be worth speaking with one of our advisers who can give more accurate information on your exact circumstances. For each client and condition, our advisers do in depth research with different insurers to see which would be the most suitable.

Resources

https://www.braintumourresearch.org/info-support/what-is-a-brain-tumour. [Accessed 21 Feb. 2022].

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/brain-other-cns-and-intracranial-tumours#heading-Zero. [Accessed 21 Feb. 2022].

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/brain-tumours/. [Accessed 20 Feb. 2022].

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tinnitus/#:~:text=Tinnitus%20is%20the%20name%20for. [Accessed 20 Feb. 2022].