Office workers, taxi drivers risk blood clots

Office workers and taxi drivers who sit for long periods at a time risk developing blood clots in major blood vessels just like long-haul airline passenger. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where blood clots form within a deep vein, commonly in the thigh or calf. The clots can partially or completely block the flow of blood, causing swelling, pain and hypertension. If the clot travels to the lungs it can cause a pulmonary embolism, which is potentially fatal, and can kill within hours. The condition is preventable by exercise and treatable with blood thinning drugs. Researchers from The Medical Research Institute, New Zealand, studied 62 people who suffered from deep vein thrombosis, including taxi drivers, IT workers and managers, and found 34 percent of the cases were a result of being seated for long periods at work. A family history of DVT was also a significant factor in getting the disease. Sitting immobile as a result of either work or travel accounted for nearly half the cases. Seated immobility at work may represent an important independent risk factor. To date, passengers on long haul flights have thought to be the main people at risk of DVT, which is also known as economy class syndrome. The study found that seated immobility at work was a risk factor if, in a four week period prior to the onset of symptoms, a worker had been seated for three hours at a stretch during an eight-hour shift. Also, workers in IT industry and call centres were at risk if they remained seated for more than one hour at a time without getting up over a period of up to 12 hours a day. Deskbound people in front of a computer, like IT workers or call centre workers, can be seated for 12 to 14 hours a day, day after day. Many times they don't get up for 3 to 4 hours.