A recent report on DVT in the Annals of Internal Medicine, warns travelers that on flights of over 4 hours, the risk for developing this potentially fatal problem increases three fold.
This study represents the first research which supports the previously theoretical relationship between air travel and DVT. More research is pending on the prevention aspects of DVT. 
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), also known as VT and VTE, is a blood clot.
It forms in the legs and can then travel to the heart or lungs. While the chances of developing VT are still small, there are precautions well worth taking. Here’s what I found that’s consistently recommended:
Help avoid DVT while flying:
1. Drink water. Hydration thins blood, making clots less likely to occur.
Reality: Don’t depend on your flight attendant to keep your water glass filled unless you’re in first-class. Economy travelers need to bring their own.
2. Avoid coffee and alcohol, which have the opposite effect as water.
Reality: I think moderation is the key. If I don’t get my morning coffee, it’s bad to be sitting next to me.
3. Get up and walk around whenever possible to increase circulation to the extremities. If that isn’t possible, curl or press down your toes and flex your calf muscles occasionally throughout the flight.
Reality: Pick an aisle seat. Otherwise it’s hard to stand up once every hour.
Lifestyle recommendations that prevent DVT
- Exercise regularly.
- Manage weight and blood pressure.
- Don’t smoke.
- Consider alternatives to birth control pills and hormone-replacement therapy.
Here are warning signs of DVT:
- Pain, tenderness or swelling in legs
- Discoloration or redness
- Skin is warm when touched
For more information, check out the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis. Their spokesperson, Melanie Bloom, was the wife of NBC newsman David Bloom, who died from DVT complications while in Iraq.
PS: It won’t hurt to have more leg room in order to be able to stretch and get in and out of your seat easily. In this case, I knew about and opted for row 4 on Hawaiian Air’s inter-island 717 aircraft. It’s normally reserved for disabled passengers but you can make a seat request for this row at the gate.
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An auxiliary strategy to help prevent DVT is the wearing of compression hose in flight. They ain’t pretty, and, aesthetically, don’t go well with shorts and flip-flops, but they can be important on long plane (or driving) trips. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, Issue 2, reviewed high-quality studies and trials and found the following, “Of the 2,637 people with follow-up data, a total of 47 people who were not wearing stockings [compression hose] developed DVTs, compared with only 3 of the stocking-wearing group.
I wear a 20-30 mmg (compression rating) knee-high compression hose because of leg problems, but, generally, most people only need to wear knee-high (or thigh-high) stockings with 15-20 mmg compression. Do not wear “support” stockings, which actually may be harmful. See Airhealth.org’s (put together by three doctors) Compression Hose web page (http://airhealth.org/compression.html) for more information.
I was so happy to see the security changes that we can take now our water on the plane which we bought in the area after you went through security check. That’s so important to have water available on the plane before the flight attendants serve water.
Well, Jeff, did you notice that the standing in the aisle activity is recently even more discouraged by flight attendants than ever. With isle space being very narrow, I can’t blame them.
And the pilot’s words to always stay in your seat with seat belt on because of sudden turbulences makes people take their seats after bathroom break immediately and they forget to do some easy leg exercises before sitting down or when seated. Great reminder even for flying ‘just’ a 5-hr flight to Hawaii from the West Coast!
Aloha Pua @PuaHawaii
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