Blood clots develop when blood stops flowing in an orderly manner and becomes “clumped” into a gel like material. Under normal circumstances, the clotting mechanism gets activated to stop bleeding from injury. However, abnormal blood clotting can cause lead to severe complications like heart attack, stroke and blood clots in legs or lungs.
Long-distance air travel and road travel is a risk factor for the development of blood clots in the veins, also referred to as thromboembolism. Flights longer than 4 hours can increase the risk of developing blood clots by up to 3 times. The risk of blood clots is highest within two weeks of travel but may persist for up to 8 weeks after finishing air travel. Fortunately though, the overwhelming majority of air travelers will never experience a blood clot.
Venous blood clots commonly occur in the deep veins of the legs, also referred to as deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Common symptoms of DVT include redness, warmth, pain, and swelling in the affected leg.
Blood clots become particularly dangerous when they propagate to the lungs, leading to pulmonary embolism (PE). Common symptoms of PE include sudden onset chest pain and shortness of breath. In the most severe cases, PE blood clots can block off circulation from the lungs to the heart, ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. Once identified, blood clots are treated with blood thinners or anticoagulation.
Besides long-distance travel, many other factors may lead to an increased risk of blood clots. Common risk factors include obesity, use of hormones, cancer, immobility, presence of inherited predisposition to blood clots, family history of blood clots, pregnancy, inflammatory bowel disease, recent surgery or trauma, and presence of central venous catheter among others.
Strategies to prevent blood clots include the frequent exercise of the legs, at least once every hour. Leg exercises include using walking around and stretching calf muscles and thigh muscles. Maintaining adequate hydration by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol and caffeine, can decrease the risk of blood clots as well. Patients with an increased risk of blood clots may benefit from using knee-high compression stockings. Individuals with very high risk may consider discussing the use of low dose blood thinner medicines with their doctor. If a blood clot is diagnosed, your physician may recommend treatment with a blood thinner for many months or longer, as appropriate.
On a bright note, the absolute risk of developing travel-related blood clots requiring medical attention is still very low, estimated to be less than 0.05 %. As the holiday travel season approaches, staying active and hydrated during travel can go a long way to decrease the risk of blood clots.
Happy Holidays!
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