Galway Bay fm newsroom - Cancer is the leading cause of death and illness in Galway according to findings from Irish life Insurance.
The company released its annual claims report which showed that cancer was the biggest cause of life insurance and specified illness claims in Galway in 2017.
Irish Life paid out a total of 6.8 million euro to Galway families in 54 life insurance claims, while 2.7 million euro was paid out for 36 specified illness cover claims.
Heart related conditions were the second leading cause of death in the county.
The average age of death claims in Galway was 57 years while specified illness claims had an average age of 50 years.
Nationally, the report shows that over half of women and 38 per cent of men whose policies were claimed in 2017, died of cancer.
Overall, breast cancer was the leading cause of specified illness claim for women, while prostate cancer was the leading cause for males.
