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Entry bubble VTE Travel Risks

By: Colleen | July 08, 2009 | Category: Health

It's summer and everyone is on the move. Except when we are trapped on a long flight or playing "eye spy" in the mini-van en route to Grandma's or the shore.

A new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine warns about the risk of a condition called venous thromboembolism or VTE. VTE is the formation of a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg or pelvis, and if the clot breaks loose and travels to the heart or lungs, can be fatal. Symptoms include swelling, pain, and redness in the leg.

VTE is very rare, but risk increases considerably during flights or car rides longer than a few hours. Those most at risk are people who are obese, have chronic illness, or take medicines containing estrogen.

To prevent VTE, it's important to remain hydrated by drinking water, flexing your calf muscles, and walking around if possible. Avoid alcohol and coffee because they can dehydrate you.

 

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blood_clot   colleen   travel   vte  

Comments (3):

blue comment bubble Posted by www.coolerchoice.com on July 08, 2009 at 06:52 PM EDT

that good advise maybe airlines and tourist information should give more info on this matter in a leaflet

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blue comment bubble Posted by Pintu on July 10, 2009 at 10:00 AM EDT

Yes I absolutely agree with this because traveling is very risky when you are travel by cars on highway at full speed and top gear. There is fully chance to anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause. So I always careful when I travel. Thanks for nice bungs.
www.vc-cars.com

Pintu

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blue comment bubble Posted by @tonei on July 13, 2009 at 12:43 AM EDT

Is this different from the Deep Vein Thrombosis that airlines and other groups have been warning about for some time now?

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