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Researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Aberdeen have disproved the link between long-haul flights and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Simulating the conditions of reduced cabin pressure and oxygen levels experienced during an eight-hour flight, they found no increase in the activation of the blood clotting system among healthy individuals.

DVT, a condition which causes blood clots to form in the veins, has long been associated with long-haul air travel, although it has been unclear whether this is simply due to the effects of sitting down for a long time, or whether something in the aeroplane environment can trigger it.

Some believe that hypoxia, or reduced oxygen in the blood caused by decreased cabin pressure, produces changes in the blood that can increase the risk of clots.

But in tests on 73 healthy individuals the researchers found when comparing the blood test results of those who had been exposed to reduced pressure and oxygen conditions with those who had not, there was no significant difference that would link DVT to air travel.

Dr William Toff from the University of Leicester's Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, said: 'Our study provides, for the first time, a carefully controlled assessment of the effects on blood clotting of the low air pressure and low oxygen level that might be found during a long-haul flight. We found no evidence that these conditions cause activation of the blood clotting mechanism.'


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