Travel Insurance for Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

What is alcohol-related liver disease?

Alcohol-related liver disease, or ARLD, is liver damage caused by drinking more alcohol than the liver can cope with, usually over many years. It’s one of the more common liver conditions, and it often causes no symptoms until the damage is quite advanced.

It tends to develop in stages. First fat builds up in the liver, then it can become inflamed (alcoholic hepatitis), and over time scarring can lead to cirrhosis. The earlier stages can often improve if you stop drinking. You can read more on the NHS page on alcohol-related liver disease.

Why do I need to declare alcohol-related liver disease for travel insurance?

Alcohol-related liver disease is a pre-existing medical condition, so it needs to be declared. A damaged liver can cause sudden problems away from home, such as internal bleeding, confusion or serious infections, and any of these could mean emergency treatment abroad or having to cancel at short notice.

Declaring ARLD lets the risk be assessed properly. If it’s left out, a claim linked to your liver, even one that doesn’t look connected at first, could be refused or reduced.

You won’t need to declare every medical condition you’ve ever had or been diagnosed with, only those that fall into the initial set of medical questions.

Can I get travel insurance with alcohol-related liver disease?

It’s often possible. With liver disease, bleeding, confusion or infections can all be connected to the liver even if it doesn’t look that way, so the screening takes a rounded view of your health.

The stage of your liver disease matters a great deal. So do recent hospital admissions, complications such as fluid build-up or swollen veins in the gullet, and whether you’re being assessed for a transplant. These shape whether cover can be offered.

What we’ll ask about your alcohol-related liver disease

It only takes a few minutes to get through the online medical screening. The questions about your alcohol-related liver disease focus on how the condition affects your liver and whether you’ve been in hospital with it. Once that’s done, carry on declaring any other relevant pre-existing medical conditions.

Once everything is declared, you’ll reach the quote page. If cover is available for your alcohol-related liver disease and your other conditions, you’ll see a choice of quotes, each with the cost of your medical cover included in the premium. Should we be unable to cover you, you’ll know before proceeding.

If your health changes before travelling

Liver conditions can change quickly. If, before your trip, you’re admitted to hospital, you start a new medicine, you’re referred for tests, or you receive a new diagnosis, you must let us know. We may need to review your cover or refer your medical situation to the underwriters, and occasionally we may not be able to proceed with cover. Any change in your medical you don’t tell us about could mean a future claim is affected or denied.

What can alcohol-related liver disease travel insurance cover?

When ARLD has been accepted, emergency medical treatment abroad can be covered if you suddenly become unwell. If you started vomiting blood in Tenerife and needed emergency care, the hospital costs and a medically assisted journey home could be covered, subject to the policy terms, exclusions, limits and excess.

If a hospital admission shortly before departure means your doctor tells you not to travel, cancellation cover may help with costs you can’t recover.

Cover won’t extend to planned treatment overseas or to anything relating to a condition you didn’t declare. Many policies also have exclusions for claims linked to drinking alcohol, so it’s worth reading the policy wording carefully.

Will alcohol-related liver disease affect the cost of travel insurance?

The price can be affected by alcohol-related liver disease, but it is your screening result that settles how far. During our online medical screening you may be asked how the condition is being treated and how well it is controlled. Things that apply to every policy, such as age, destination and trip length, also come into it. There is no obligation, and you see the price before buying.

Single trip or annual cover with alcohol-related liver disease

If you’re going away once, single trip cover is the obvious choice. Annual cover may be available for more frequent travellers, depending on your screening result.

Travelling with alcohol-related liver disease: practical tips

These are general suggestions and don’t form part of your cover.

Think about where and how you holiday. All-inclusive resorts, cruises and drinks packages make alcohol very easy to come by. If you’ve been advised to stop drinking, it may help to choose a trip where alcohol isn’t the main event, or to let your travel companions know so they can support you. Mutual support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous hold meetings in many countries, and some meet online.

Ask about vaccines. People with liver disease are often advised to have hepatitis A and B vaccines, as a further infection could do real harm. Your GP or a travel clinic can check what you’ve had and what your destination needs.

Know the warning signs. Yellowing of the skin or eyes, vomiting blood, black stools, sudden confusion or a rapidly swelling tummy all need urgent medical help, wherever you are. Make sure whoever you’re travelling with knows this too.

Be careful with food and medicines. Avoid raw shellfish, especially oysters, as some bacteria found in them are particularly dangerous for people with liver disease. Don’t take over-the-counter painkillers or herbal remedies abroad without checking they’re safe for you, and take paracetamol only as advised by your doctor.

Carry a letter or summary from your liver team listing your diagnosis and medication. If you need care abroad, it will help the doctors there understand your situation quickly.

How to get a quote

Fill in your trip details, answer the medical questions about your liver and any other conditions, and choose your cover. Your price appears before you pay.

Get a Quote

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Don't worry if your condition is not listed above - we cover plenty more medical conditions.
* Please note that cover will vary depending on individual medical screenings.