Travel boom sparks blood clot warning
A Perth doctor says the risk of deep vein thrombosis is increasing from cheap flights, high-frequency business travel and more baby boomers and retirees seeing the world.
Ross Baker, a professor at Murdoch University's centre for thrombosis and haemophilia, said the risk of travel-related DVT was still relatively low in healthy people but other factors, including being older than 40, increased the risk.
DVT is a blood clot in the leg that can form into a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
Long-distance flights add to the risk, as do coronary heart disease, being overweight, smoking, contraceptive pills, family history of DVT and recent surgery or injury.
Professor Baker, who helped develop guidelines to prevent blood clots, said the risk of DVT was four times higher when people flew - about the same as from the pill.
"There's no doubt DVT is age-related and it's quite a strong association that significantly increases from the age of 40," he said.
"The number of older people travelling is definitely increasing and we're also exposed to the risk frequently, so the sheer number of people with a travel-related thrombosis is not insignificant.
"Travel often comes up in conversation now if someone has a DVT because everyone's travelling."
Professor Baker said though older people were at higher risk, young adults were not risk-free. Studies of business people with multinational companies found an early peak in young professionals.
He said the person might already have a risk factor, such as taking the contraceptive pill, and travelling tipped them over the edge.
People also underestimated travelling after surgery or for young people injured on holiday.
Professor Baker said for most travellers it was about common sense, such as drinking water in the plane and moving your legs.
'The number of people with a travel-related thrombosis is not insignificant.'" Professor *Ross Baker *
