Life Insurance With Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are extremely common, particularly in people who stand all day, and most need nothing done.
They are a problem of the surface veins and their valves, which is worth stating because of what they get muddled with.
The entries that matter are treatment, skin damage, and the clot history that is genuinely a different thing.
The short answer
Varicose veins are enlarged surface veins in the legs where the valves no longer work properly. They are very common and mostly a nuisance. Three things make the entry bigger: any procedure you have had, any skin change or ulcer at the ankle, and any history of deep vein thrombosis, which is a different and far more significant condition people sometimes confuse with this one.
What it is
Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins visible under the skin of the legs, caused by failure of the one-way valves in the superficial veins so that blood pools rather than returning efficiently. They cause aching, heaviness, itching and swelling, usually worse after standing.
Risk factors include family history, pregnancy, standing occupations and higher body weight. Complications include eczema and skin discolouration around the ankle, bleeding from a vein, superficial thrombophlebitis, and in longer-standing cases venous leg ulcers.
Treatment ranges from compression stockings to procedures: endovenous ablation using laser or radiofrequency, foam sclerotherapy, and surgical stripping, which is now less common.
Why it comes up on an application
- Uncomplicated veins, untreated, are a small entry and a short answer.
- Any procedure is a named intervention with a date, and ablation, sclerotherapy and surgical stripping should each be stated as what they were.
- Skin changes at the ankle, discolouration or eczema, indicate longer-standing venous disease, which is a more substantial picture.
- A venous leg ulcer is a significant entry: it indicates chronic venous insufficiency and often involves long treatment.
- Deep vein thrombosis is a different condition and the one that genuinely matters. If you have ever had a DVT or a pulmonary embolism, that is the entry, not the varicose veins.
- Superficial thrombophlebitis is inflammation of a surface vein with a clot in it, and it sits between the two, so it is worth naming precisely if that is what you had.
- Anticoagulant medication is a significant prescription and points at a clot history.
- Standing occupations are the common thread behind many of these, and that is a fair thing to mention.
What we would ask you
- How long you have had them, and whether they cause symptoms
- Whether you wear compression stockings
- Whether you have had any procedure, and which
- Whether you have had skin changes or an ulcer at the ankle
- Whether you have ever had a deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism
- Whether you take any blood-thinning medication
- 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
Veins And Clots Are Not The Same Thing
This is the distinction worth getting right, and it is the reason this page asks about something that sounds unrelated.
Varicose veins are a problem of the surface veins and their valves: blood pools, the vein stretches, and it shows. A deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a deep vein, which is a serious event with a risk of the clot travelling to the lungs, and it is usually treated with anticoagulation.
Those are different conditions and they get confused, because both are about legs and veins. If you have ever had a DVT or a pulmonary embolism, that is the significant entry on your application and it should be declared as such with its date and treatment. If you have only ever had varicose veins, saying so clearly, and that you have never had a clot, is a useful and complete answer.
Ulcers And Skin Changes Change The Picture
Most varicose veins stay cosmetic and achy. There is a point where that changes, and it is worth declaring accurately.
Brown discolouration or eczema around the ankle indicates that the pressure in the veins has been raised for a long time, and a venous leg ulcer, a break in the skin that will not heal, is the end of that road. Ulcers can take months to heal, need regular dressing and compression, and tend to recur.
So if you have had skin changes or an ulcer, say so with roughly when and how long it took to heal. That is a meaningfully different entry from untreated veins, and if you work on your feet it is also the clearest argument for having income protection in place, because ulcer treatment and heavy standing work do not combine well.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point. Uncomplicated veins barely feature; any clot history sits in the picture considerably more prominently, which is why the distinction is worth making.
Relevant for standing trades. Aching, swollen legs through a twelve-hour shift is a real problem, and an ulcer can mean weeks of treatment.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and varicose veins are not one. Worth having for the risks it does cover.
Common questions
Do I need to declare varicose veins?+
Answer what you are asked. Uncomplicated untreated veins are a small entry. What makes it bigger is any procedure, any skin change or ulcer at the ankle, and any history of a clot.
Are varicose veins the same as DVT?+
No. Varicose veins are a problem of the surface veins and their valves. A deep vein thrombosis is a clot in a deep vein, a serious event usually treated with anticoagulation. They get confused, and if you have had a DVT, that is the significant entry.
I had laser treatment on my veins. What should I say?+
Name the procedure and roughly when. Endovenous ablation, foam sclerotherapy and surgical stripping are each specific interventions with a date, and saying which one you had is more informative than saying you had treatment.
I had a leg ulcer years ago. Does that matter?+
Yes, it is a significant entry. An ulcer indicates chronic venous insufficiency, often takes months to heal and tends to recur. Say roughly when it happened and how long it took to heal.
I stand all day at work. Is that relevant?+
It is worth mentioning, because standing occupations are a recognised factor and it explains the context. It also matters for income protection, since aching swollen legs and an ulcer are both much harder to work through on your feet.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.