Long-haul flights 'raise DVT risk'
Updated on 25 September 2007
Long-haul flights roughly treble the chances of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), according to a new study.
Dutch scientists conducted the first attempt to assess the risk of air travel by surveying almost 9,000 employees of international companies. The employees were then followed for more than four years and monitored to see if they developed thromboses.
Of the sample, 52 went on to have thromboses after flying - 22 of which were within eight weeks of a long-haul flight.
The researchers calculated there was a 3.2 in 1,000 chance of having a thrombosis in those "exposed" to long-haul travel, compared with a one in 1,000 chance for those who had not flown.
Venous thrombosis has been linked to air travel since the 1950s but the absolute risk of developing DVT has never been calculated before.
The authors of the study, published in the PLoS Medicine, also found the risk of thrombosis increased the longer someone flies, or the more times they fly in a short time.
The risk was particularly high in employees under 30, in women on the contraceptive pill and people who were particularly short, tall or overweight.
Because the mean age of the sample was 40 years old, the scientists believe the risk in the general population is likely to be higher.
They conclude: "The results of our study do not justify the use of prophylaxis such as anti-coagulant therapy for all long-haul air travellers, since this may do more harm than good.
"However, for some subgroups of people with a highly increased risk, the risk-benefit ratio may favour the use of prophylactic measures."
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