A 25-year-old male non-smoker has a 24% chance of having a critical illness before reaching age 65 — and a 25-year-old male smoker has a 49% chance of incurring such an illness, according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.
Analysts at Milliman Inc., Seattle, included those figures in a national critical illness risk assessment study prepared for the AALTCI, Westlake Village, Calif.
The Milliman analysts used a definition of critical illness that includes heart attacks, strokes, and life-threatening occurrences of cancer.
Women face less risk of incurring a critical illness than do men at all ages, the analysts report.
About 25% of 25-year-old female non-smokers – and 36% of 25-year-old female smokers — can expect to suffer a critical illness before age 65.
In addition, about 17% of male non-smokers and 36% of male smokers who reach age 55 without having a critical illness will be diagnosed with one before turning age 65.
For healthy 55-year-old females, the likelihood of suffering a critical illness before reaching age 65 is about 12% for non-smokers and 23% for smokers.
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