Multiple sclerosis (MS)

Trauma insurance can offer financial protection if you are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). The progression, severity and specific MS symptoms of the disease cannot be predicted. Multiple sclerosis symptoms may range from tingling and numbness to paralysis and blindness.

Although we do not yet understand why some people are susceptible and others are not, we do know that an estimated 18,000 Australians have MS*.

Since identification, MS has been the subject of intense, world-wide research but still its cause and cure remain elusive. Due to the wide ranging health implications surrounding MS, funds from a trauma insurance benefit can greatly alleviate the financial strain MS causes.

Causes of multiple sclerosis (MS)

The overall cause of multiple sclerosis is still unknown. The immune system normally defends the body from attack by viruses or bacteria. But in the case of MS, the body's immune system attacks its own myelin, causing disruption to nerve transmission. It is thought that genetic and environmental factors are involved, but the actual trigger to the disease has not yet been discovered.

Symptoms result when inflammation and breakdown occur in myelin, the protective insulation surrounding the nerve fibres of the central nervous system. Myelin is destroyed and replaced by scars of hardened 'sclerotic' patches of tissue. Such lesions are called 'plaques' and appear in multiple places within the central nervous system. This can be compared to a loss of insulating material around an electrical wire, which interferes with the transmission of signals.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) Symptoms & Signs

Multiple sclerosis symptoms are unpredictable. Some people are minimally affected by the disease while others have rapid progression to total disability, with most fitting between these two extremes. Although every individual will experience a different combination of MS symptoms, the four most common patterns of the disease are:

Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis - characterised by clearly defined attacks (relapses or exacerbations), which last from days to weeks and then subside with full or partial recovery and no noticeable disease progression between attacks. The disease may be inactive for months or years.
Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis - begins initially as a relapsing-remitting course that later evolves into a more consistently progressive course with or without relapses.
Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis - this form of MS is characterised by a lack of distinct attacks, but with slow onset and steadily worsening symptoms. There is an accumulation of deficits and disability which may level off at some point or continue over months and years.
Progressive-Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis - this form of MS is characterised by a gradual progression of disability from the onset of the disease and is accompanied by one or more relapses.

Symptoms vary greatly from person to person and from time to time in the same person. They may include: extreme tiredness, impaired vision, loss of balance and muscle coordination, slurred speech, tremors, stiffness, bladder and bowel problems, difficulty walking, short-term memory loss, mood swings and, in severe cases, partial or complete paralysis.

Financial protection against MS with trauma insurance

Trauma insurance definitions of multiple sclerosis (MS) vary from policy to policy and also greatly differ between life insurance companies. Apart from a diagnosis by a neurologist, most trauma insurance definitions state there must be evidence of more than 1 episode of neurological deficit. Some insurers state that each episode must last at least 6 months, while others do not specify the duration at all. A small number of life insurance companies only pay trauma insurance claims if the person insured is unable to function independently and needs assistance with daily living.

If you would like a trauma insurance policy that adequately covers you for a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) then contact xLife.

References:
* MS Australia (2005) MS The Mystery Disease. Sydney: MS Australia

All other information from MS Australia, www.mssociety.com.au. MS Australia (2005) MS The Mystery Disease. Sydney: MS Australia.NMSS Information Resource Center and Library. Compendium of Multiple Sclerosis Information (CMSI). National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Source: AXA 2010

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October 2010