Can long trips be bad for your health?
Long-distance travel may increase the risk of potentially deadly blood clots, a new study published today suggests, and the longer the trip, the greater risk of danger.
The relationship between venous thromboembolism -- clots that form in the veins, typically the leg, and can be deadly if they move to the lungs -- and travel has long been suggested. But previous studies have yielded contradictory findings. The study, published in this week's issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, looks back at previous data and finds that travel by any means is associated with a three-fold higher risk of these blood clots. And when limited to air travel, that relationship was even stronger: For every two additional hours on a plane was associated with a 26 percent increase in risk for blood clots.
Still, don't panic. These clots are still relatively uncommon. ...
Doctors aren't sure why the clots form more often during travel, but they suspect it has something to do with the fact that passengers spend so much time sitting still. They recommend moving around and staying hydrated to help stave off the clots.
And pay attention to symptoms: Leg pain, swelling, redness, and warmth in the affected limb. Of course these can be a sign of all sorts of things, but if you see a doctor for these symptoms soon after traveling, don't forget to tell your doctor you have been on a long trip. A college friend, otherwise healthy and in her mid-thirties, was complaining of pain in her leg after a many-hour flight from Mexico to New York over the holidays last year. Her pain even brought her to the doctor's office a few days later. He didn't ask her if she had been on a plane. The next day she died from a pulmonary embolism.
Comments
Good info. So don't worry to take a long travel..get the doctor advice 1st.
Posted by: chuckiesd | July 7, 2009 9:57 PM