Hi everyone, this week I have Matt Rann back with me and we are talking about lupus. This is an autoimmune condition that can potentially have an influence on protection insurance applications. We are talking about Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Discoid Lupus (DLE) and Drug-induced lupus (DILE).

Lupus is a condition that usually affects women far more than men, with women nine times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition. Symptoms can involve fatigue, a skin rash, hair loss, and much more including difficulties with the kidneys.

The key takeaways:

• Roughly 1 in every 1000 living in the UK have lupus.
• Lupus is caused by having too many antibodies within the immune system.
• Lupus can be hereditary but it can also be triggered by hormones e.g. puberty, pregnancy, menopause. It can also be triggered by a viral infection, sunlight and some medications.

Next time I have Jeff Woods from Legal & General joining me, alongside Roy McLoughlin, to talk about Legal & General’s latest State of the Nation report. It’s a deep dive into insurance and SMEs. I’ve gone through it and it really is an interesting read and shows just how much we, as an industry, are missing opportunities to promote business and group protection.

Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors Octo Members.

If you want to know more about how to arrange protection insurance, take a look at my Protection Insurance in Practice course here.