Long journeys by plane are often the cause, but sitting too long in the car is a risk factor for phlebitis or pulmonary embolism, depending on the results of a study published in the medical journal Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
After the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan in April 2016, many people were afraid to return home, they chose to flee. As a result, the roads became saturated and a large number of people found themselves stranded in their cars.
In order to assess the impact of sitting in cars for long periods of time, investigators from the Kumamoto Threatosis Thrombosis and Embolism Protection (KEEP) project collected data following the Kumamoto earthquakes.
Venous thrombosis: prolonged sitting involved
They found an “epidemic” of blood clots developing in the legs, and pulmonary embolism, one obstruction of a pulmonary artery by this clot ascended to the heart. Analysis of questionnaires from 21 local medical institutions established that 51 patients were hospitalized following the earthquakes due to venous thrombosis. Of these, 42 patients (82.4%) had spent the night in a vehicle. The vein thrombosiswas complicated by pulmonary embolism in 35 cases.
“This is a dramatic example of the risks inherent in immobilizing extended periods of time in a cramped position,” commented Stanley Nattel, MD, editor of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
“It is an important reminder from a public health point of view and it reinforces the need to get up and walk around regularly when you are on a plane or when you are forced to stay in a car for a long period of time,” concludes the principal investigator of this study, Seiji Hokimoto.
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