Deep Vein Thrombosis
What is DVT?
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where clots occur in the larger veins of the legs that lie in amongst the muscles. Occasionally DVT can develop in the deep veins of the arms or pelvis although this is uncommon.
Who gets a DVT?
Each year DVT occurs in about 10 in 20,000 people in what the medical establishment calls the ‘general population’. DVT is more common in those aged 40 and over, people who are overweight are also at a high risk of getting a DVT. Some inherited medical conditions can make blood more likely to clot into a DVT than usual thus increasing the risk. Some common factors which might increase the risk of a DVT include; longer periods of immobility, major injury, any sort of lower body paralysis, some surgical procedures on knees or hips that take longer than one hour. Cancer and its various long term treatment, these cause blood to clot more easily, long distance travel.
DVT is also common in women who have recently given birth or are pregnant. Women who regularly use the contraceptive pill or HRT. These are the demographic that make up nearly 85% of those who suffer from DVT.
Travel and DVT
Recently the media has highlighted that there is evidence that some passengers on long-haul flights are at a high risk, especially when they have little or no exercise during the flight. However it is not easy to conclude whether the flight itself caused the DVT or whether these people were at risk for other reasons anyway.
While the exact causes of travel related DVT are still being investigated, most of the experts agree that the lack of movement during a long flight is a major contributing factor.
Signs of DVT
Those suffering a DVT may notice a slight swollen feeling of the leg with increased warmth and maybe some redness of the leg. Some may get a pain that is noticeable when standing or walking.
These are not always a sign of a DVT, but anyone who experiences them should contact a doctor immediately. More often DVT affects only one leg, in these cases the effects may develop and be felt during the journey but more commonly just hours or a few days following the journey.
Preventive measures for travellers
Although the risk of developing a DVT related to travel is low, there are things that can be done to make the risk even lower. These include exercising hourly by doing leg exercises whilst sitting or walking up and down the aisle. Other measures to consider are avoiding alcohol and drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration, sitting with your legs uncrossed and not taking sleeping tablets (which cause immobility). If you or a family member has a history of DVT then it is advisable to consult you GP before flying long haul.
Complications of DVT
The most serious of these is Pulmonary Embolism (PE). This occurs when the clot in the leg moves up through the body via the veins to the right side of the heart, then into the main branches of the arteries to the lung, blocking the blood flow. PE is a common cause of sudden, unexpected death. It is characterised by shortness of breath and coughing up pinky/red coloured frothy phlegm.
