Deep Vain Thrombosis

Wellbeing reporter Sally Coulthard looks at ways to reduce the health risk of long haul flights

'Economy Class Syndrome'

For most of us, flying doesn't represent any significant risk to health and aviation still remains one of the safest ways to travel. However, it's also hard to ignore the worrying headlines about 'economy class syndrome' and the reported health risks of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Since the 1940s scientists have been aware of the danger of sitting immobile for long periods of time. By the 1970s, scientific studies linked sitting still on plane journeys and ill health, and today there is compelling evidence that DVT can be caused by long periods of immobility. Just how many people become ill or die as a result of sitting immobile on long haul flights, we still don't know.

The problem is that if you sit still for a very long time, as you might on an international flight, blood clots can form in your legs. The medical profession refer to these blood clots as 'deep vein thrombosis' (DVT). In the leg a blood clot might cause swelling or redness but if it moves into other parts of the body, the results can be fatal. A blood clot ending up in the lungs can block the supply of oxygen to the rest of the body, causing what's called a 'pulmonary embolism', and possibly death. DVT is still a very rare phenomenon and for most people there is no cause for alarm.

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