Life Insurance With Nasal Polyps Or A Deviated Septum
A blocked nose has two common structural explanations and they are not equivalent on an application.
One is the shape of the partition down the middle of your nose, which is a matter of anatomy. The other is growths in the lining, which are a sign of ongoing inflammation and travel with other conditions.
This page separates them.
The short answer
These two get listed together because both block the nose and both lead to surgery, and medically they are quite different. A deviated septum is structural and its only real entry is a septoplasty if you had one. Nasal polyps are inflammatory and are strongly associated with asthma and, in some people, with sensitivity to aspirin and similar anti-inflammatory drugs, which makes those questions the important ones.
What it is
The nasal septum is the wall between the two sides of the nose. A deviated septum is one that sits off centre, which can obstruct airflow on one side. It is often the result of an old injury and is corrected, where needed, by an operation called a septoplasty.
Nasal polyps are soft, non-cancerous swellings of the lining of the nose and sinuses, associated with ongoing inflammation. They cause blockage and loss of smell, are treated with steroid sprays or drops and sometimes oral steroids, and are removed surgically when needed. They commonly recur after surgery.
Why it comes up on an application
- For a deviated septum, the operation is the entry. Septoplasty is a general anaesthetic procedure with a date; the deviation itself is anatomy.
- For polyps, the associations are the entry. Asthma is common alongside them, and the combination of polyps, asthma and sensitivity to aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is a recognised pattern.
- Aspirin and NSAID sensitivity is important enough to state plainly if it applies, because it is a drug reaction rather than a nose problem.
- Polyps recur, so the number of operations and whether they came back is the useful detail rather than a single date.
- Oral steroid courses, used for polyps, are a more substantial prescription than a nasal spray and are worth distinguishing.
- Loss of smell is common with polyps and is worth mentioning as a symptom rather than left out.
What we would ask you
- Which you have: polyps, a deviated septum, or both
- Whether you have had surgery, what kind, and how many times
- Whether you also have asthma
- Whether you have ever reacted badly to aspirin, ibuprofen or similar
- What you use, including nasal sprays and any courses of oral steroids
- Whether you are currently off work or working reduced hours because of an accident, injury or illness
- Whether you are waiting on any medical tests, appointments or treatment
- Whether you have been diagnosed with or treated for cancer in the last five years
- Whether a parent, brother or sister was diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or a stroke before 65
- Any medication you take
- Whether you smoke, and your date of birth
Polyps Are A Respiratory Answer, Not A Nose One
This is the single most useful thing on the page, and it surprises people who think of polyps as a local nuisance.
Nasal polyps are driven by inflammation of the airway lining, and the airway does not stop at the nose. Asthma is common in people with polyps, and there is a recognised pattern in which polyps, asthma and a reaction to aspirin or similar anti-inflammatory drugs occur together.
So when a form asks about asthma or about drug reactions, those are not stray questions. If you have had polyps, give the asthma question a careful answer, and if aspirin or ibuprofen has ever caused wheezing or a reaction, say so plainly. That is a drug sensitivity and belongs on the form in its own right.
Recurrence Is Normal, And Is The Useful Detail
Unlike most of the operations on this site, polyp surgery frequently is not the end of the story, and that is expected rather than a sign something went wrong.
Polyps commonly regrow, and some people have had two, three or more procedures over the years alongside continuing steroid sprays. That is a different history from one operation twenty years ago.
So give the count and the rough dates, and say whether you are currently clear or currently symptomatic. For a septoplasty, by contrast, one date is usually the whole answer, because correcting the septum does not need repeating.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point. With polyps, the asthma and any drug sensitivity sit in the picture more prominently than the polyps.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and neither of these is one. Worth having for the risks it does cover.
Replaces earnings if illness or injury stops you working. Relevant around surgery and recovery, and through asthma if that affects your work.
Common questions
Are nasal polyps and a deviated septum the same kind of thing?+
No. A deviated septum is the shape of the wall between your nostrils, often from an old injury, and its only real entry is a septoplasty if you had one. Polyps are inflammatory swellings that recur and travel with asthma, which makes them a bigger entry.
Why are you asking about asthma and aspirin?+
Because nasal polyps are driven by airway inflammation and are commonly accompanied by asthma, and there is a recognised pattern in which polyps, asthma and sensitivity to aspirin or similar anti-inflammatory drugs occur together. Both are genuinely relevant questions.
I have had polyp surgery three times. Is that a problem?+
It is a more substantial history than a single operation, and recurrence is normal rather than a sign anything went wrong. Give the count and rough dates. What it means for your terms is the insurer's decision rather than ours to predict.
I had a septoplasty years ago. What do I say?+
Name the operation and roughly when. For a deviated septum that is usually the entire answer, because correcting the septum does not need repeating the way polyp surgery often does.
Does losing my sense of smell matter?+
It is worth mentioning as a symptom rather than leaving out. Loss of smell is common with polyps and is part of describing the condition accurately.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.