March 23, 2007 – Does your job require you to be nailed to your workstation most of the day? Be aware that people who sit in a chair for long hours could be at as much risk of developing deep phlebitis, if not more, than those who take a long plane flight.
This is what New Zealand researchers have achieved who have examined the lifestyles of 62 patients admitted to a clinic due to deep phlebitis or pulmonary embolism.
Phlebitis, also called venous thrombosis, is a cardiovascular disorder that causes a clot to form in a vein, often in the legs. When the blood clot occurs in a deep vein, the venous thrombosis can lead to pulmonary embolism.
Just over a third (34%) of patients admitted to the clinic were office workers who spent eight or more hours a day sitting at their desk, only getting up about once every three hours.
The researchers were surprised that this proportion was higher than the 21% who had been admitted because of “economy class syndrome”: a deep phlebitis caused by a long plane trip. The risk of suffering from a deep vein thrombosis after such a flight would be 1%, according to another study conducted by the same authors2.
Whether in the office, on a plane or on the road, staying still for too long could cause a blood clot to appear. Almost half of the people (48%) with deep vein thrombosis had been sitting for long hours for at least four weeks prior to their admission to the clinic. The other cases of phlebitis were mainly related to the inheritance of the patients.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to theAssociated Press.
1. To learn more about the work of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand: www.mrinz.ac.nz/index.htm [consulté le 21 mars 2007].
2. More details on this study: www.mrinz.ac.nz [consulté le 21 mars 2007].
