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Office workers, taxi drivers risk blood clots-study

15 Mar 2007 05:34:42 GMT
Source: Reuters

WELLINGTON, March 15 (Reuters Life!) - Office workers and taxi drivers who sit for long periods at a time risk developing blood clots in major blood vessels just like long-haul airline passenger, researchers in New Zealand said.

The Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington studied 62 people who suffered from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), including taxi drivers, IT workers and managers, and found 34 percent of the cases were a result of being seated for long periods at work.

A family history of DVT was also a significant factor in getting the disease, the study said.

"Seated immobility as a result of either work or travel accounted for nearly half the cases. Seated immobility at work may represent an important independent risk factor," said the 2005 study to be presented at the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand conference in Auckland later this month.

To date, passengers on long haul flights have thought to be the main people at risk of DVT, which is also known as "economy class syndrome".

Deep vein thrombosis is a condition where blood clots form within a deep vein, commonly in the thigh or calf. The clots can partially or completely block the flow of blood, causing swelling, pain and hypertension.

If the clot travels to the lungs it can cause a pulmonary embolism which is potentially fatal and can kill within hours. The condition is treatable with blood thinning drugs.

The New Zealand study found that "seated immobility at work was identified as a risk factor" if, in a four week period prior to the onset of symptoms, a worker had been seated for three hours at a time without getting up during an eight-hour shift.

Workers in an IT industry call centre were at risk if they remained seated for more than one hour at a time without getting up over a period of up to 12 hours a day.

"Deskbound people in front of a computer, like IT workers or call centre workers, can be seated for 12 to 14 hours a day, day after day," institute director Richard Beasley told Reuters on Wednesday. "Many times they don't get up for 3 to 4 hours.

"We are getting more cases (of DVT) involving people seated for long periods at work," he added.

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Last updated:Thu Mar 15 05:35:15 2007