[Oregonkiwi]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10428219
... a study to be presented at the annual conference of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand later this month has found prolonged immobility at work is the most common factor shared by DVT patients.

Researchers found one in three people attending an outpatient clinic reported sitting for eight hours or longer before suffering a venous thromboembolism, whereas only one in five had travelled on a long-haul flight.

The worst-affected were managers, IT workers and taxi drivers, according to the research from the Medical Research Institute in Wellington.

I take this to mean that if you're an IT worker making a long haul flight to NZ (as a lot of forum members are), you're at extra risk of DVT.... so be careful to walk around on the plane and all that stuff.:)

For more specific info on preventing DVT:
http://www.flighthealth.org/preventing-dvt.htm

[real_sunfire]

Interestingly the study was comissioned by Air New Zealand. I wonder why *:)

Rgds.,
Nick.

[Moorf]

I knew laying on the sofa to work was good for my health :D

[NooDleS]

I think Ross Noble does this sketch best :)

[Natalieb]

I tested positive for Thrombophillia a while back which means I am at risk of developing a blood clot. I am an IT worker emigrating to NZ which is quite scary.

Ive got to have some injections to thin my blood the day I travel so should be ok.

I think everyone who travels long haul should have some sort of medication to thin the blood.

Natalie

[NooDleS]

And plenty of orange juice to reduce the risk of fatigue!

[barryp]

I think everyone who travels long haul should have some sort of medication to thin the blood.

Indeed. For most of us, a single child's aspirin just before a flight is entirely sufficient to mitigate this risk completely. (For a very small number of people, even a tiny dose of aspirin is problematic.) A far more likely health issue whilst flying is simple dehydration, and the remedy there is equaly simple!