Health & Fitness - Not much risk of plane flight blood clots

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Not much risk of plane flight blood clots

COLOGNE, Germany (UPI) -- Developing a blood clot, or deep-vein thrombosis, is very unlikely in healthy travelers -- especially for flights under six hours, German researchers say.

However, when people wear a cast or splint after a sports accident many are not aware they have an increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis in their legs and pelvic area, says Peter Sawicki, director of the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.

The institute summarized the results of research on deep-vein thrombosis and air travel, involving the experiences of millions of air travelers.

The study, published in the institute's Web site Informed Health Online, finds that about 2-5 out of every 10,000 people who took a flight longer than 6 to 8 hours developed deep-vein thrombosis that caused symptoms, or .05 percent.

Even those at higher risk, because of large varicose veins or were very overweight, were not highly likely to develop a blood clot -- 20 out of every 10,000 travellers were affected, or 0.2 percent, the study says.

After fracturing a bone or tearing a ligament, people can only move their leg a little bit, and many do not know that this also increases the risk of developing a blood clot, Sawicki says.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 07/27/2009

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