Blood clots, or deep vein thrombosis, is not just a risk for people taking long flights, according to research from a U.S radiologist.
Dr. Suresh Vedantham, professor of radiology and surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says that although taking long flights can increase your risk of a blood clot, both adults and children are at a risk whether they are traveling or not.
"Deep vein thrombosis -- sometimes called economy class syndrome -- is not just a one-time complication from taking a long plane ride. It affects men, women and the elderly -- even children -- whether or not they travel," Vedantham told the Society of Interventional Radiology at the 36th annual scientific meeting in Chicago.
Vedentham says that other conditions that can increase your risk for developing deep vein thrombrosis include birth control, cancer, continual immobility, major surgery, obesity, pregnancy and serious injury.
According to Gary Raskob, dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health and DVT researcher, taking preventive measures, especially when you are at an increased risk, is key to your survival.
By recognizing the increased risk and taking preventive steps such as using anti-clotting medicine or special supportive stockings, the chance of developing blood clots can be substantially reduced, Raskob writes.
He also notes that even if people are taking preventative measures, they should still seek immediate medical attention when they experience tenderness or swelling with their injury, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a sudden loss of consciousness.
In the U.S. alone, as many as 600,000 people are hospitalized with deep vein thrombrosis each year and as many as 100,000 of those patients die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
