Last updated 14 November 2011
A significant proportion of people with diabetes do not feel comfortable discussing their illness, new research suggests.A poll of 2,000 people, conducted by Onepoll on behalf of price comparison service Confused.com, revealed that more than a fifth (22 per cent) of people with diabetes are reluctant to tell people about their condition.
Twenty-six per cent of respondents admitted they did not really understand what diabetes was, yet 31 per cent of people knew someone with the disease.
Matt Lloyd, head of life insurance at Confused.com, warned that people who fail to tell their insurer about their diabetes could invalidate their policy.
He revealed: 'Having a condition such as diabetes does not always mean you cannot get life insurance.
'Particularly if a person with diabetes is controlling their condition as directed by their doctor it is possible that they may be able to get a policy put in place.'
The survey follows recent research by Diabetes UK, which revealed that one in three people with diabetes keep their condition a secret from others.
The charity warned that nearly one million people in the UK could therefore be risking their health by failing to share the physical and psychological impact of the disease.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/interactive/news/one-in-five-people-with-diabetes-reluctant-to-discuss-their-condition--id801208458-t116.html
