Air passengers risk developing deep vein thrombosis even on flights lasting only a few hours, a study suggests.
Scientists monitored the health of passengers flying between Stansted in Essex and airports in Italy, and found that a few suffered DVT within two to three hours of take-off.
The findings challenge the assumption
that only long-haul passengers suffer blood clots, which can lead to collapse and death.
Campaigners hoping to raise awareness of DVT have claimed for some time that short flights pose a risk to passengers.
They say that even those travelling in business and first class where there is more leg room are vulnerable.
Interim results of the new research, involving 568 passengers, will lend weight to their campaign.
Professor Gianni Belcaro, of d'Annunzio University in Italy, who has conducted several travel-related DVT studies, led a team of experts who examined passengers flying between the UK and Italy between May and last month.
The passengers, aged between 25 and 65, were screened by ultrasound for blood clots before and after their flights.
The researchers discovered clots in 4.3 per cent of the high-risk subjects after the flight.
Two developed pulmonary embolisms possibly related to their trip.
Those with an increased risk of DVT are women on the pill and hormone replacement therapy, people who have recently had surgery and pregnant women. Alcohol also increases the risk.
Professor Belcaro said: "The results show passengers are at risk of developing blood clots even on short flights.
"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."
Professor Belcaro recommended that people making any kind of journey seated in cramped conditions do plenty of exercise during the trip, drink water and wear flight socks to help the blood circulate.
He said it was unusual to publish interim results when a study was continuing, but these findings were considered to have great significance.
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