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Study identifies short haul DVT danger

Air travellers on journeys as short as three hours are at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), latest research has shown.

Interim results of a new international study which has already examined more than 500 of a planned 900 passengers flying between the UK and Italy between May and September 2003 found blood clots in 4.3% of high-risk subjects after their flight.

Two passengers participating in the study went on to develop pulmonary embolisms possibly related to flights.

Travel-related DVT experts, led by Professor Gianni Belcaro of G D'Annunzio University in Italy, conducted the independent study. Passengers taking part were aged between 25 and 65 years old. They were screened with ultrasound for blood clots before and after their flight.

Professor Belcaro said: "The results show passengers are at risk of developing blood clots even on short flights - in fact, our research suggests most blood clots develop in the first two to three hours of a journey and grow larger and more dangerous with time.

"The problem can be worsened if travellers are then transferring straight to a car or coach for a long journey, or if they wait hours in airports.

"I recommend people making any kind of journey where they will be seated in cramped conditions should take a few simple precautions. These include taking plenty of exercise during the trip, drinking water and wearing flight socks to help the blood circulate and reduce the likelihood of clots developing.

"It is unusual to publish interim results, but we have taken the decision to publish them on a web journal as they have such significance for people travelling on short haul journeys. Issuing them via a web journal means the information is more quickly available to people travelling by air and can help them take precautions before they fly."

The study is still in progress. The interim findings are to be published in a web-journal linked to the European Venous Forum and can be found at www.venousforum-europe.org.

The full results of the study, once it is completed, will also be published in the web journal.

Professor Gianni Belcaro is Professor of Angiology at Chieti University in Italy and director of the Irvine2 vascular laboratory (department of biomedical sciences at G D'Annunzio University).

He is a Fellow of the Italian Society of Cardiovascular Surgery, the International College of Angiology and the Royal Society of Medicine (London).

Professor Belcaro is President of the Italian Society for Vascular Investigations and the author of more than 400 scientific articles and original papers.