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Long flights, clot link unclear

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-05 09:39

You've seen all of the warnings about blood clots forming on long haul flights if you sit still, but a new study suggests that such inactivity may not actually increase the risk of clots.

On the other hand, the findings suggest that keeping your whole body, or a single limb, immobile due to paralysis or injuries could put you at risk of blood clots that may spread to the lungs and cause serious harm or death.

Dr Jeffrey Kline, from the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and co-authors studied 7,940 emergency department patients who were evaluated for blood clots between 2003 and 2006.

Although travel was the most frequently observed reason for immobility, there was no evidence that it was linked to blood clots.