brainsmile
07-27-2002, 08:22 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1015732.stm
Economy class syndrome, where long haul flight passengers can suffer potentially fatal blood clots, does exist and should be recognised by airlines, according to researchers.
New evidence published in the medical journal The Lancet found that the pressurised atmosphere of aeroplanes may increase the risk of venous thrombosis.
The research letter will add to the controversy over the issue, coming two weeks after another article in The Lancet said the condition was a myth.
Emma Christoffersen died after a 20-hour flight
British Airways announced last month that it is to participate in a research project aimed at establishing whether there is a definitive link between flying and blood clots.
The announcement came after 28-year-old Emma Christoffersen, from Newport, collapsed at Heathrow airport and died after getting off a 20-hour flight from Australia.
Some experts claim that the long hours spent sitting in cramped conditions on planes, often dehydrated, can lead to venous thrombosis.
In the latest study Norwegian researchers put 20 healthy men into a specially-constructed apartment in which the air pressure was as low as in an aeroplane.
They were exposed to a rapid decrease in air pressure, similar to that experienced during a flight.
Potentially fatal
The men were kept in the hypobaric (low pressure) apartment for eight hours, and were allowed to do all every day activities except for physical exercise.
The researchers found that levels of compounds associated with blood clotting increased between two and eight-fold in the men during the eight hours.
Venous thrombosis and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are potentially fatal because blood clots can travel into the lungs and cause death.
Researcher Bjorn Bendz called on airlines to ensure passengers are given regular supplies of non-alcoholic drinks and people at high risk of thrombosis are given advice about the condition.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/01/11/travelers.thrombosis/
ASHFORD, England (CNN) -- Ashford Hospital is a 10-minute drive from London's Heathrow Airport, and almost every month it deals with an air passenger who has died from a condition called deep-vein thrombosis -- blood clotting and blocked lungs resulting from prolonged sitting on long- haul flights.
A study at the hospital identified 30 deaths in three years from deep-vein thrombosis arising from air travel. And even though deaths are relatively rare, the condition is causing growing concern.
REDUCE THE RISK
Snacking, moving can decrease risk of flight-related blood clots
Ashford Hospital's Dr. John Belstead said emergency nursing staff there started noticing long-haul travelers dying of massive blood clots as early as eight years ago.
"It's the red-eye flights from the west of the United States and the Far East, and also from Australia," he said. "It's mostly people who sleep in their seats."
The condition often has been dubbed "economy-class syndrome," but Belstead said a French study suggests that term is a misnomer.
"They found two people (with the condition) who traveled in business class and one person in first class, so it's not just economy class," he said.
Fatalities rare
Fatal cases of so-called traveler's thrombosis are very rare, Ashford physicians stress. For every victim, there are a million other long-haul passengers who arrive safely at Heathrow, they say.
But according to some doctors, as many as one in 10 air travelers could be affected by some form of the condition.
At Heathrow, concern is tempered by realism.
"I think the planes should offer more space, I really do, in the economy section," one traveler said. "People have to take the choice: Do they want a cheap flight or do they want to pay more money for their flight and have more leg room?"
Passenger warning
British Airways takes the problem seriously, and has begun issuing new warning leaflets to passengers, plus is showing a video on its flights advising travelers to exercise while the airplane is aloft.
Australia's two biggest airlines also said they will print health warnings onto their tickets about the danger of blood clots.
Even though deaths from traveler's thrombosis aren't common, the message from doctors is that the risk can be minimized by in-flight exercise and other preventive measures.
Some doctors recommend travelers take aspirin, which thins the blood, before flying, or wear elastic knee-length stockings to help prevent clots.
"The passenger has to take responsibility for their own health and make sure they are fit to travel, that they've thought about the issues surrounding travel, and that they take heed of the advice," said Dr. David Flower of British Airways.
Economy class syndrome, where long haul flight passengers can suffer potentially fatal blood clots, does exist and should be recognised by airlines, according to researchers.
New evidence published in the medical journal The Lancet found that the pressurised atmosphere of aeroplanes may increase the risk of venous thrombosis.
The research letter will add to the controversy over the issue, coming two weeks after another article in The Lancet said the condition was a myth.
Emma Christoffersen died after a 20-hour flight
British Airways announced last month that it is to participate in a research project aimed at establishing whether there is a definitive link between flying and blood clots.
The announcement came after 28-year-old Emma Christoffersen, from Newport, collapsed at Heathrow airport and died after getting off a 20-hour flight from Australia.
Some experts claim that the long hours spent sitting in cramped conditions on planes, often dehydrated, can lead to venous thrombosis.
In the latest study Norwegian researchers put 20 healthy men into a specially-constructed apartment in which the air pressure was as low as in an aeroplane.
They were exposed to a rapid decrease in air pressure, similar to that experienced during a flight.
Potentially fatal
The men were kept in the hypobaric (low pressure) apartment for eight hours, and were allowed to do all every day activities except for physical exercise.
The researchers found that levels of compounds associated with blood clotting increased between two and eight-fold in the men during the eight hours.
Venous thrombosis and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are potentially fatal because blood clots can travel into the lungs and cause death.
Researcher Bjorn Bendz called on airlines to ensure passengers are given regular supplies of non-alcoholic drinks and people at high risk of thrombosis are given advice about the condition.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/01/11/travelers.thrombosis/
ASHFORD, England (CNN) -- Ashford Hospital is a 10-minute drive from London's Heathrow Airport, and almost every month it deals with an air passenger who has died from a condition called deep-vein thrombosis -- blood clotting and blocked lungs resulting from prolonged sitting on long- haul flights.
A study at the hospital identified 30 deaths in three years from deep-vein thrombosis arising from air travel. And even though deaths are relatively rare, the condition is causing growing concern.
REDUCE THE RISK
Snacking, moving can decrease risk of flight-related blood clots
Ashford Hospital's Dr. John Belstead said emergency nursing staff there started noticing long-haul travelers dying of massive blood clots as early as eight years ago.
"It's the red-eye flights from the west of the United States and the Far East, and also from Australia," he said. "It's mostly people who sleep in their seats."
The condition often has been dubbed "economy-class syndrome," but Belstead said a French study suggests that term is a misnomer.
"They found two people (with the condition) who traveled in business class and one person in first class, so it's not just economy class," he said.
Fatalities rare
Fatal cases of so-called traveler's thrombosis are very rare, Ashford physicians stress. For every victim, there are a million other long-haul passengers who arrive safely at Heathrow, they say.
But according to some doctors, as many as one in 10 air travelers could be affected by some form of the condition.
At Heathrow, concern is tempered by realism.
"I think the planes should offer more space, I really do, in the economy section," one traveler said. "People have to take the choice: Do they want a cheap flight or do they want to pay more money for their flight and have more leg room?"
Passenger warning
British Airways takes the problem seriously, and has begun issuing new warning leaflets to passengers, plus is showing a video on its flights advising travelers to exercise while the airplane is aloft.
Australia's two biggest airlines also said they will print health warnings onto their tickets about the danger of blood clots.
Even though deaths from traveler's thrombosis aren't common, the message from doctors is that the risk can be minimized by in-flight exercise and other preventive measures.
Some doctors recommend travelers take aspirin, which thins the blood, before flying, or wear elastic knee-length stockings to help prevent clots.
"The passenger has to take responsibility for their own health and make sure they are fit to travel, that they've thought about the issues surrounding travel, and that they take heed of the advice," said Dr. David Flower of British Airways.