Cancer is a disease where normal cells change and grow in an abnormal way. If left untreated, they can destroy surrounding healthy cells and eventually destroy healthy cells in other parts of the body.

There are about 200 different types of cancer, varying widely in outlook and treatment. 1 in 2 people born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime*. Experts estimate that more than 4 in 10 cancer cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, cutting back on alcohol and keeping a healthy body weight.

Our cover exceeds the ABI definition as the ABI definition has an exclusion relating to chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, but we do not.

Carcinoma in situ may be described as an early form of breast cancer.

Early cancerous changes in the breast may occur before the cancer spreads to other parts of the body (this is called cancer in situ). In these circumstances, surgery may be required to protect against the condition spreading.

This is additional cover provided with our Critical Illness Cover plans, which pays out a maximum of £25,000. A claim made under this definition does not affect the full amount of cover on the plan.

This provides cover for cancer of the prostate, which has been treated but is not advanced enough for it to be covered by our Cancer definition.

Cancer cells are graded in accordance to how alike they are to normal cells. Cancer cells that look very similar to normal cells will be classified as low grade and tend to grow slowly. Conversely, cancer cells that look unlike normal cells will be high grade, which are more aggressive.

This is additional cover provided with our Critical Illness Cover plans, which pays out a maximum of £25,000. A claim made under this definition does not affect the full amount of cover on the plan.

The aorta is the largest artery in the human body and carries blood from the heart, distributing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body.

Aorta Graft Surgery may be needed to correct a weakening or bulging in the aorta. The aorta can become diseased causing the wall to weaken and stretch.

ABI covers surgery to the Aorta following a disease only. Our cover exceeds the ABI definition by also covering surgery following trauma.

A cardiac arrest occurs when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body.

If you have a cardiac arrest, you lose consciousness almost immediately. There are also no other signs of life such as breathing or movement. Cardiac arrests are life threatening and require immediate medical attention.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscles that can reduce its function. It can affect the size and shape of the heart, as well as the electrical signals that usually make the heart beat in a regular rhythm.

People of all ages can suffer from cardiomyopathy and the disease can run in families. Although symptoms vary, they usually include shortness of breath, fainting and palpitations.

Coronary artery by-pass surgery is used to treat blocked arteries in the heart. The surgery diverts blood around narrowed or clogged parts of the major arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart.

Narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries can be caused by the build up of fatty deposits (plaques).

ABI requires surgery to be carried out by dividing the sternum (breastbone). Our cover exceeds the ABI definition by also covering surgery carried out from the side of the chest.

A heart attack is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. Lack of blood to the heart can seriously damage the heart muscle.

Taking regular exercise, stopping smoking and lowering your alcohol consumption are all effective steps to reduce the risk of having a heart attack.

The ABI definition requires symptoms (e.g. chest pain).
Our cover exceeds the ABI definition by not insisting on there being typical clinical symptoms or a specific level of increase in cardiac markers (troponins).

Heart valves are important to make sure blood flows through the heart in the right direction, so that blood is circulated around the body efficiently.

These valves can become diseased, which may cause your heart to pump less efficiently. Strain can be placed on the heart if blood does not flow through properly, leading to long term complications.

Common symptoms of heart valve disease include breathlessness, tiredness, chest pain and swollen ankles.

The ABI definition requires surgery to be carried out by dividing the sternum (breastbone). Our cover exceeds the ABI definition as we cover the customer regardless of the type of surgery.

Open heart surgery is any surgery where the chest is cut open and surgery is performed on the muscle, valves or arteries of the heart.

Some new procedures are done with the heart still beating, while traditional surgery utilises a heart-lung bypass machine.

Primary pulmonary hypertension is raised blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries (the blood vessels that supply the lungs). It’s a rare but serious condition that can damage the right side of the heart, making it less efficient at pumping blood around the body and getting oxygen to the muscles.

The condition can affect people of any age, although some types are more common in young women. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain and an accelerated heartbeat.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting nearly 500,000 people in the UK*. Symptoms include memory loss, confusion, communication problems and general impairment of mental function.

The condition gradually worsens impairing the individuals ability to carry out basic functions which most of us take for granted such as walking, swallowing and breathing.

A benign brain tumour is a non-cancerous abnormal growth of tissue that can increase in size and cause pressure in the brain. Symptoms may include headaches, seizures and blurred vision.

Benign brain tumours are relatively slow-growing and unlikely to spread to other parts of the body. Surgery to remove the tumour might be possible and once removed they tend not to recur. However, the option to operate depends on the size and location of the tumour. We will pay a claim if the tumour is required to be surgically removed or if it results in permanent neurological symptoms.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare disease of the nervous system. CJD causes brain damage that worsens over time. The disease can be present without symptoms for many years.

Once the symptoms appear, they may include failing memory, problems with vision, immobility, loss of speech and coma in advanced stages. There is currently no known cure.

Dementia is a term used to describe various different brain disorders that have in common a loss of brain function.

Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer's, vascular dementia or a series of strokes. Symptoms may include memory loss, confusion and the inability to reason. Dementia is usually progressive and eventually severe. It causes the sufferer to become confused and disorientated and often unable to perform routine tasks like cooking a meal.

Our cover also includes pre-senile dementia.

Encephalitis is an uncommon but serious illness that causes inflammation of the brain. This is caused by either an infection in the brain or through the immune system reacting to a non infectious cause such as a tumour.

Symptoms may include severe headache, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, personality changes, problems with speech and/or hearing, confusion and disorientation.

Motor neurone disease is a condition that causes gradual weakening and wasting of the muscles, usually beginning in the arms and legs.

This progressive weakening can cause difficulty walking or holding objects. As the disease develops, other muscle groups may be affected such as those involving speech, swallowing and breathing. Eventually 24-hour care may be needed.

The ABI definition does not cover spinal muscular atrophy. Our cover exceeds the ABI definition as we do cover spinal muscular atrophy.

Multiple sclerosis (MS)is a neurological disease that affects the myelin – a coating surrounding the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include problems with muscle movement, lack of coordination and a lack of muscle strength.

MS is the most common disabling neurological disease among young adults and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. There’s no known cure.

ABI definition requires six months’ continuous symptoms. Our cover exceeds the ABI definition as we cover customers on diagnosis, provided there have been symptoms. We do not insist on a timeframe.

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a progressive disease of the nervous system. Symptoms are varied, including muscle weakness, swallowing difficulties and increasingly severe impairment of physical function. MSA greatly reduces the life expectancy, as symptoms worsen over time.

Unfortunately, while there are treatments available to delay some of the symptoms, there is currently no cure.

Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive disease where the brain becomes increasingly damaged over many years. There are three main symptoms of the disease; tremors (uncontrollable shaking or trembling), muscle stiffness (rigidity which makes everyday tasks difficult) and slowness of movement.

Parkinson’s is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain. Exactly what causes this loss of nerve cells is still unclear.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a progressive brain disease in which increasing numbers of brain cells become damaged over time.

The disease progresses to seriously affect vision and movement. PSP can also cause changes in behaviour, personality, memory loss and slurred speech. As the disease progresses, the ability to swallow becomes difficult and physical movement less stable.

Spinal stroke is a serious medical condition that can lead to severe disability including paralysis. Spinal strokes are caused by a disruption in the blood supply to the spinal cord.

Most spinal strokes are caused by blockages (usually blood clots) in the blood supply to the spine. Some spinal strokes are caused by bleeds (haemorrhage).

People with high blood pressure and cholesterol, smokers, and people with heart disease or diabetes (or a family history of heart disease or diabetes) are at an increased risk.

A stroke is a serious medical condition that can lead to brain damage or death. They are caused by a sudden loss of blood supply or haemorrhage to a particular part of the brain. Symptoms and how well a person recovers depends on the extent of the damage.

Strokes are a significant cause of disability in the UK, with 150,000 people suffering from a stroke each year.

The risk of having a stroke can be reduced by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption.

Traumatic brain injury is covered when permanent symptoms result from the injury due to death of brain tissue.

An example of a severe brain injury could be a road accident or an accident whilst participating in a hazardous activity.

Blindness is the permanent and irreversible loss of vision. This is determined with the use of a Snellen eye chart, the chart commonly used by opticians which displays gradually decreasingly sized letters and numbers.

The ABI specify permanent and irreversible loss of sight to the extent that even when tested with the use of visual aids, vision is measured at 3/60 or worse in the better eye using a Snellen eye chart. Our cover exceeds ABI definition as we cover blindness measured at 6/60 or worse.

6/60 vision means you can read a letter at six metres that someone with normal or healthy vision can read at sixty metres.

A coma is a state of unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be awakened and has no control over bodily functions. The individual is alive, but with minimal brain activity, unable to move or be woken. Recovery rates vary, depending upon the depth, duration and cause of the coma.

The ABI’s definition of a coma requires the unconsciousness to last at least 96 hours. Our definition does not set out a time limit.

This means the permanent loss of hearing in both ears, measured by using an audiogram across different frequencies, which vary from low to high pitch.

Age and prolonged exposure to loud noises are the most common cause of hearing loss. People who are at particular risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss include people who work with noisy equipment and in environments with loud music.

ABI requires hearing loss greater than 95 decibels across all frequencies in the better ear using a pure tone audiogram. Our cover is wider as we cover hearing loss greater than 70 decibels.

This means physical severance of a hand or foot and may be caused by illness or serious accident.

The ABI definition requires loss of two or more hands or feet. Our cover exceeds the ABI definition as we only require the loss of one hand or foot.

This is the permanent and irreversible loss of the ability to speak.

Total loss of speech can be caused by surgery to remove the vocal chords due to a tumour or damage to the brain following serious accident or illness.

Paralysis of a limb is the complete loss of use of an arm or a leg. The most likely cause of paralysis is through injury or illness.

The most common causes of paralysis are; stroke, spinal cord injury and head injury.

ABI requires paralysis in the whole of two or more limbs. Our cover is wider as we require paralysis in one limb only.

This means the total removal of either eye due to injury or disease.

There are various reasons for removing an eyeball, such as cancer or severe trauma. Trauma may not just be physical but can be thermal or chemical.

Third degree burns are the most serious type of burns, involving damage to the full thickness of the skin and underlying connective tissue. These can be life threatening and require numerous skin grafts.

The ABI requires third degree burns to cover 20% or more of the body’s surface area. Our cover exceeds the ABI definition by also covering third degree burns to 20% or more of face or head.

This benefit may cover any condition not specifically covered on the list, which results in total and permanent disability.

The total and permanent disability definition is based on whether you can perform your own occupation ever again, or whether you can perform at least three specified work tasks out of six.

The definition applied will be based on the kind of job you do and whether this is paid employment.

Kidney failure can be a life threatening condition. The kidneys play an important role in filtering waste products from the blood before converting them into urine. If they fail, there is a harmful build up of the body’s waste products.

In some severe cases, it may be necessary for the filtering to be done by a dialysis machine or a transplant may be needed.

The liver is an important organ which carries out several of the body’s vital functions, such as helping with digestion and clearing toxins.

Liver failure can be life-threatening, leading to permanent yellow discolouration of the skin (jaundice), ascites (build up of fluid in the abdomen), and encephalopathy (brain disease or damage).

Occasionally, an organ may become so diseased that it needs to be replaced. This is often the only treatment for end stage organ failure.

ABI requires recipient of a transplant of a complete heart, kidney, liver, lung, or pancreas. Our cover exceeds the ABI definition as we cover a recipient of a transplant of only one of the two lobes of the liver.

Respiratory failure is a life-threatening illness where the lungs cannot provide enough oxygen for the rest of the body. Respiratory failure can also occur if the lungs can’t properly remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The condition may be described by some insurers as ‘chronic lung disease’ or ‘severe lung disease’.

Bacterial meningitis causes inflammation to the meninges, the protective layer around the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by a bacterial infection and is classified as a medical emergency. Initial symptoms include headache, fever and vomiting.

About 1 in 10 people who contract bacterial meningitis will die and if left untreated, it can cause serious complications, such as brain damage, hearing loss or learning disabilities.

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus which attacks the body's immune system – the body's defence against diseases; increasing the risk of infections and tumours. HIV can lead to the development of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Although there are treatments for AIDS and HIV to slow down the virus’s progression, there is currently no known cure.

Our definition goes beyond the ABI standard definition. When HIV is caught during an incident at work, we include all occupations with established reporting procedures.

Aplastic Anaemia is a rare but serious condition where bone marrow fails to produce enough new blood cells and clotting agents. These cells are required for a range of functions, including transporting oxygen around the body, taking carbon dioxide away to the lungs to be released, fighting infections and sealing small cuts.

Symptoms can include shortness of breath, excessive bleeding and an increased chance of catching infections.

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in various parts of the body. The inflammation is caused by the body’s tissue being attacked by its own immune system, i.e. the body creates antibodies, which work against it. The illness can affect many parts of the body, from the skin to joints and kidneys. Symptoms may include painful, swollen joints, unexplained fever and extreme fatigue. No known cure currently exists, other than treatment to manage symptoms.