Long-flight illness blamed for thousands of deaths a year

LONDON - Doctors at a British hospital have estimated that up to 2000 people a year could be dying in Britain from "economy-class syndrome" - blood clots in the legs formed during long-distance flights.

Ashford Hospital in London, the closest accident and emergency centre to the world's busiest airport, Heathrow, has reported 30 deaths from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the past three years, 10 of them passengers from Australia.

The hospital nearest to London's Gatwick Airport also treated 100 cases of DVT last year, of which eight were fatal.

But doctors believe these figures are only the tip of the iceberg.

Only the most severe cases become apparent at the airport, with most patients suffering from DVT going to their GP after a few days or weeks. Few hospitals or doctors would then link the complaint to a flight.

"If 10 people are dying from pulmonary embolism which occurs immediately after their flight, there will be quite a few more who get non-fatal pulmonary embolism and DVT in their legs, but there is no way of knowing the number of people that happens to," said Ashford Hospital accident and emergency consultant John Belstead.

Doctors at Ashford reckon that more than 2000 people die from DVT every year in Britain.

Young people as well as the aged can be affected by the syndrome.

Prominent Queensland vascular surgeon Dr David Grosser said yesterday that he had treated three members of the British Olympic team for DVT last year when they arrived on the Gold Coast for pre-Olympic training.

Examinations and blood tests indicated that none of the athletes had existing conditions or inherited characteristics which made them susceptible to the condition.

"It shows even strong, fit and healthy people can be susceptible."

Dr Grosser said he treated about 10 patients a year for DVT.

The high number of incidents in the Olympic team was probably because the athletes were more in tune with their bodies.

"A lot of people who find themselves with a sore calf may ignore the symptoms," he said.

Dr Grosser said he wrote to airlines in the 1970s when he first became aware of the relationship between DVT and long-haul flights but had no response.

"We don't really know the risk," he said. "All we have are anecdotal incidents, because there has been no scientific study into it.

"A study can't be done without the cooperation of the airlines."

The study would require passengers to undergo ultra-sound tests before and after flights to identify how many developed blood clots during the flight. "We know at least 50 per cent of DVT sufferers don't know they have the symptoms," he said.

"My guess is out of the [Britain] Olympic contingent at last 12 people had DVT."

Dr Grosser said that over the years DVT patients could develop chronic ulceration of the legs and problems with pigmentation and swelling, which could lead to difficulty walking.