Scientists comfirm deep vein thrombosis among air passengers

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Scientists comfirm deep vein thrombosis among air passengers

At least one in every hundred long-distance air passengers will develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a study by New Zealand researchers has found.

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At least one in every hundred long-distance air passengers will develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a study by New Zealand researchers has found.

The study, published Friday in The Lancet, was reported by The Dominion Post here Saturday.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, also found DVT happened even "in individuals at low to moderate risk," and those who took precautions, such as taking aspirin or wearing compression stockings.

This is one of the most detailed studies ever done on DVT - therealistic risk the average traveller faces of developing potentially deadly clots.

DVT is the term for a blood clot which usually forms in leg veins during long periods of sedentary activity. The clot can moveto the lung, causing a heart attack.

The New Zealand researchers recruited 878 volunteers from Wellington and Auckland aged between 18 and 70 who travelled at least 10 hours by plane over six weeks. The average was 39 hours of travel during the period.

Recruits were measured for a blood protein called D-dimer, which is linked to dangerous clotting, before and after their flight.

Individuals with higher levels of D-dimer after the flight, or who developed symptoms of DVT in the three months after travel, were given an ultrasound scan and lung X-ray.

Nine out of the 878 volunteers - one percent - developed DVT, five of which were leg clots, while the other four had clots whichhad reached their lung.

Richard Beasley, Director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, said Each jumbo jet that flew into New Zealand would carry two, three or four people with newly developed blood clots.

But what struck researchers was how DVT occurred in people who had taken precautions against clotting, such as using aspirin to thin the blood or wearing compression stockings to improve circulation in the legs.

"Preventive measures don't eliminate the risk, though we suspect they do have some effect," Beasley said.

Two of the nine travelled exclusively in business class, scotching the suggestion that traveller's clots happen only among those in the cramped, cheaper seating.

An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the airline recognized thatthough DVT was relatively uncommon in passengers, in view of the many millions who travel by air each year, there has been increased concern and awareness of the issue.

Air New Zealand continued to advise travellers who might be at a greater risk to consult their doctor before flying, and also advised customers to avoid dehydration and move their limbs frequently during their flight, she said.

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