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| health information | health news

Long haul flights treble your risk of DVT

27 September 2007

Tips for reducing DVT risk when flying
Wear loose fitting clothes and flight socks. Drink plenty of water. Don't cross your legs. Exercise the muscles of your lower legs while sitting - pull your toes towards your knees then relax, or press the balls of your feet down while raising your heels. Take occasional short walks up and down the aisle.

Air passengers travelling for longer than four hours are three times more likely to have deep vein thrombosis (DVT) compared to non-flyers, according to a new study.

DVT is a blood clot that develops in a deep vein, usually in the lower leg. It can cause complications if the clot moves and travels into the lungs. DVT has been linked to air travel since the 1950s; however, this is the first time the absolute risk of long haul flights has been assessed.

Dutch scientists surveyed 8,755 employees of global organisations, with an average age of 40, and followed them over four years to see if they developed DVT. Fifty-three people had DVT - 22 within eight weeks of flying.

The study, published in PLoS Medicine, found people who take long haul flights have a 3.2 in 1,000 chance of getting DVT, compared with a one in 1,000 chance in those who don't fly.

The scientists estimate there is a chance of one clot occurring in every 4,656 flights taken. They found that the risk of blood clots increases the longer you fly, or the more you fly within a short time period. They also found that the risk of blood clots is highest in the first two weeks after air travel.

The risk is even higher for women on the contraceptive pill and people who are tall, short or overweight.

The authors don't believe the results of their study justify long haul air travellers taking medicines that prevent blood from clotting before they fly "since this may do more harm than good".

However, for some people who are at high-risk, the risk - benefit ratio may favour the use of prophylactic (preventative) measures, "but randomized trials are required to assess who would benefit most from which prophylactic measure", they said.