Life Insurance With Sinusitis Or Rhinitis
Blocked sinuses are so common that declaring them feels absurd, and for most people the honest answer is that there is almost nothing in the record.
The version that does carry weight is the long-running kind, because it gets imaged and sometimes operated on.
This page covers which you have and what we would ask.
The short answer
Acute sinusitis is an infection that comes and goes, and a few episodes over the years is a minor entry. Chronic rhinosinusitis is different: it is defined by symptoms lasting months, it is usually investigated with a CT scan of the sinuses, and a proportion of people end up having endoscopic sinus surgery. The scan and any surgery are the parts worth having ready.
What it is
Rhinitis is inflammation of the lining of the nose, producing congestion, running and sneezing. It can be allergic, as in hay fever, or non-allergic. Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses, often following a cold, with facial pain or pressure, congestion and reduced sense of smell.
Acute episodes usually settle within weeks, sometimes with antibiotics. Chronic rhinosinusitis is diagnosed when symptoms persist beyond about twelve weeks, and is managed with nasal steroid sprays and rinses. Where that is not enough, a CT scan is usual and functional endoscopic sinus surgery is sometimes offered.
Why it comes up on an application
- Acute and chronic are genuinely different entries: episodes with dates, or a continuing condition with a management routine.
- A CT scan of the sinuses is a real investigation and belongs in an answer about tests whatever it showed.
- Endoscopic sinus surgery is an operation under general anaesthetic and should be stated as such, with roughly when.
- Nasal polyps are frequently found during this process and are a separate thing with their own associations, so if polyps were mentioned, say so.
- Allergic rhinitis sits alongside hay fever and asthma, so the respiratory questions on an application are relevant if that is your version.
- Long-term nasal steroid spray is a continuing prescription, which is a fair answer to a medication question.
What we would ask you
- Whether you get occasional episodes or have persistent symptoms
- Whether you have had a CT scan of your sinuses, and what it showed
- Whether you have had sinus surgery, and roughly when
- Whether nasal polyps were ever found
- What you use regularly, including nasal sprays
- 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
Twelve Weeks Is The Dividing Line
The distinction between acute and chronic is not a matter of how bad it feels; it is a definition, and knowing it makes your answer precise.
Acute sinusitis is an episode, usually following a cold, which settles. Chronic rhinosinusitis is diagnosed when the symptoms have gone on beyond roughly twelve weeks, and it is managed rather than cured.
If you get two or three infections a winter that clear up, say that. If you have had a permanently blocked nose for years with a daily steroid spray, say that instead. They are different entries and the second one usually has a CT scan attached to it.
If Polyps Were Mentioned, That Is The Bigger Entry
This comes up constantly in chronic sinus disease and it carries more with it than the sinusitis does.
Nasal polyps are soft growths in the lining of the nose and sinuses, and they are commonly found during exactly this investigation. They are strongly associated with asthma, and in some people with a sensitivity to aspirin and similar anti-inflammatory drugs.
So if a doctor mentioned polyps, declare them specifically rather than as sinusitis, and answer the asthma and medication questions carefully. Our page on nasal polyps goes through why those associations matter.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point. What is in the picture is the scan and any surgery rather than the congestion.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and this is not one. Worth having for the risks it does cover.
Replaces earnings if illness or injury stops you working. Sinus surgery involves a recovery period; the condition itself rarely stops work.
Common questions
Do I need to declare sinusitis?+
Answer what you are asked. A few acute episodes over the years is a minor entry. Persistent symptoms, a CT scan or sinus surgery are the parts with substance, and those should be given with rough dates.
What is the difference between acute and chronic?+
Acute sinusitis is an episode that settles, usually after a cold. Chronic rhinosinusitis is diagnosed when symptoms persist beyond about twelve weeks and is managed rather than cured. The chronic version usually has a CT scan attached to it.
I had sinus surgery. How do I describe it?+
As an operation under general anaesthetic, with roughly when. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is a real procedure and should be stated as such rather than as treatment for sinusitis.
Should I mention nasal polyps separately?+
Yes, and they are the more significant entry. Polyps are strongly associated with asthma and sometimes with sensitivity to aspirin and similar drugs, which makes the asthma and medication questions genuinely relevant.
I use a steroid nasal spray every day. Does that count?+
Yes. A question about medication asks what you take, and a long-term daily prescription is a meaningful answer regardless of how routine it feels.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.