Which type of lupus you have
Lupus comes in several forms. Discoid or cutaneous lupus affects mainly the skin. Systemic lupus erythematosus, usually called SLE, can affect joints, skin, blood, kidneys, heart, lungs and the nervous system. Insurers need to know which one you have, so give the exact name from your clinic letters.
For skin-only lupus, the questions are usually short and terms are often close to standard. The insurer may ask whether a doctor has checked that it has not spread beyond the skin, and how you manage it with creams, sun protection or tablets. For SLE, expect a fuller set of questions.
The detail insurers ask for with SLE
Underwriters want to know where lupus has shown up in your body. Joint pain and rashes are common and usually viewed less seriously than lupus affecting the kidneys, heart, lungs or brain. Kidney involvement, often called lupus nephritis, is a key question, along with your latest kidney function and urine results.
They also ask how often you flare, what triggers flares and how they are treated. Hydroxychloroquine, steroids, immunosuppressants and biologics are all common. The insurer looks at how much treatment you need to stay well.
- Type of lupus and date of diagnosis
- Organs involved, especially the kidneys
- Recent blood and urine test results
- Treatment, including steroid use
- Flares and hospital stays
- Blood clotting problems such as antiphospholipid syndrome
What you could be offered
Mild SLE affecting skin and joints, stable on treatment, may lead to a loading on life cover. Kidney, heart or brain involvement usually means a larger loading, and an insurer may postpone during an active flare or soon after diagnosis. Severe lupus with major organ damage may be declined by some insurers and considered by others.
Critical illness cover is often limited, with lupus or its complications excluded. Income protection insurers commonly exclude lupus, or autoimmune and joint conditions, because flares can mean time off. Each insurer decides on its own terms, and the result depends on your full history.
Completeness protects your family
Lupus often involves several specialists, and your records may span rheumatology, kidney and skin clinics. Make sure your application reflects all of them. A missed detail, such as a past episode of kidney inflammation, could cause problems at claim time. Pregnancy complications linked to lupus or a clotting disorder also belong on the form if the question covers them.
If lupus was suspected but never confirmed, explain what tests you had and what your doctor concluded. A positive antibody blood test on its own, with no symptoms and no diagnosis, is something many people have. Declaring it with your doctor's conclusion lets the underwriter see it for what it is.
How Hi Tomorrow helps with lupus
Lupus varies so much that insurers' decisions vary too. We know which insurers on our panel look carefully at organ involvement and disease activity rather than applying one rule to everyone, and we apply there first.
We help you bring together letters from different clinics so the underwriter sees the full picture once, which saves time and avoids repeated questions. If an insurer postpones because of a recent flare, we note when to try again and come back to you then.