Clots

Den, Thanks for posting, as this is a good reminder for all of us that travel. It's good to hear that you recovered without any problems. I visited the Travel Medicine Clinic yesterday, but didn't think to ask about DVT. I'll add "Aspirin" to my pre-trip checklist! Cheers!

Den, glad to hear you recovered! It must have been a difficult experience for you and your family. Thanks for sharing this with us, as it could help others. (Edited after reading some of the posts) Obviously, this is a medical issue and travelers who are planning long-haul flights and think they might be at risk for DVT (deep vein thrombosis) or other clots should talk to their doctors, before the trip. There may be some relationship to age, but that's only one risk factor. In general, a travel forum is not a good place to get medical advice with layman giving medical opinions. It may do little harm with jet lag remedies, but with a potentially life threatening condition - see your doctor. It's good to see that the two doctors I know of in our small community of travel helpers, Tom (of Hüttenfeld) and Byron, have taken the time to share a little of their professional knowledge to this thread; and also Tracy, who does one of the tests for clots.

Women on birth control pills are also at a higher risk for blood clots.

"I suppose this is mainlly for those who are 45+." Happened to one of my daughters at age 26, and she wasn't on BCP's. Younger age is no guarantee. Risk factors include smoking and recent injury/surgery.

Den: Age has nothing to do with someone developing a clot. Over a third of people who develop clots carry the Factor V Leiden gene mutation. This mutation is hereditary. If you haven't already been screened for Factor V Leiden by a hematologist during your hospital stay, you may want to have the screening done on yourself and, if you have any, your children and grandchildren (even if they have never had a clot, it's good to know if they also carry the Factor V mutation so they can take precautions for things that put them at a much greater risk for getting a clot - such as using hormonal birth control, pregnancy, undergoing any sort of surgery, being on a long flight, etc.).

From above post: "Age has nothing to do with someone developing a clot." From Wikipedia article on DVT and traveler's thrombosis: "The highest risk groups include the elderly...." (and other risk factors are listed)

@Kent: In Den's original post he states "I suppose this is mainly for those who are 45 plus". As you can see from Tom's post (above mine), his daughter was 26 years old. All I'm saying is if you happen to have had a clot, there is a distinct possibility that you may carry the Factor V gene and pass it on to your children & grandchildren so it's good for them to know sooner rather than later. If there had been Factor V genetic testing 20 years ago, my sister may not have been taking birth control pills which led her to get DVT after an overseas flight at the ripe "old" age of 21.

Deep Vein Thrombosis of the upper extremity is not usually associated with flying and accounts for only 10% cases of DVT. Much more common is the lower extremity DVT caused by compression of the popliteal vein behind the knee by the seat especially in the coach area.
The most common cause of upper extremity DVT is use of central line catheters or pacemakers insertion. Cancer patients given a port-a-cath for chemotherapy are especially prone to get DVT. The other cause of upper extremity DVT is an anatomical compression. In addition only 6% of upper extremity DVT embolizes to the lung. Perhaps on the long flight your arm was in a abnormal position for a several hours leading to your problem. Hopefully you lung clots have dissolved.

Factor V Leiden is a common culprit in "young" (ie, under the age of 50) people who suffer from a DVT, but this condition is relatively rare. I'm not sure where the above poster got the number that a "third" of all people with a DVT have Factor V Leiden, but that seems entirely too high. The only people who are routinely tested are those who have already had a suspicious clot, or close relatives of a known carrier. The combination of smoking and hormonal contraceptive use, already mentioned, is another risk factor in the relatively young. And yes, age IS a significant risk factor, mainly because of all the things that go along with getting older- congestive heart failure, venous insufficiency, accumulated endothelial damage, limited mobility, etc. The vast majority of people who suffer DVTs are not young, otherwise healthy people on long flights (although the media mainly focuses on these), but older people in hospitals and nursing homes. Many elderly patients routinely receive lovenox injections while hospitalized specifically to prevent DVTs. Bottom line- everyone is unique. Your best source of advice on what to do and not do is a physician who can review your medical history and examine you. Popping aspirin may be appropriate for some people, but not for others.

As part of my job I do one of the tests to determine if you have a clot in your lung. The patients are of all age groups but the majority are young women and people 60+.

Yes, such cases can occur unfortunately. Lovenox or heparin may be of some assistance. Aspirin can help as well, as can eating foods with higher salicylates; all of which thin out your blood to certain degrees to prevent clotting. Coumadin can also be prescribed to help prevent existing clots from enlarging. Unfortunately DVTs and the like can come about as a result of any prolonged period of down time such as post operation or even flights abroad; such can also lead to pulmonary embolisms. Age and health are factors to consider, but the youth can still be affected, as was the young guy in the news recently who died of a blood clot while playing X-box for a prolonged period of time (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/british-xbox-gamer-dies-blood-clot). So, taking aspirin, etc. in advance can help, but staying healthy and active to any degree can certainly be a factor in cases such as these.

Den,
Our last trip over the pond someone had obviously warned the elderly Italian couple across the aisle from me about clots. They both jumped up the minute the seatbelt light went off. They stood and walked in place almost the entire flight. Which is fine but he was halfway out in the aisle. I was trying to sleep and I would wake up every ten minutes with someone's butt in my face as they tried to scoot bye this couple. I guess what I am trying to say is if you choose to be proactive about a blood clot intervention. Make sure you do it in a friendly way to your fellow passengers. Good Luck.

I wear compression socks during these flights. They are not at all attractive but they do help. I try to wear loose fitting clothes during flights. (Clothes during flights is another topic already being discussed). I also try to walk around when possible. I agree with Nate. While the other couple was trying to maintain their well being, it was not courteous if it prevented you and others from getting any rest.

This may not be for everyone and it is certainly something your Dr. needs to recommend, but it is very easy to do a shot for thrombosis before flying. Since I suffer from extreme varicose veins, my Dr. thinks it is an excellent idea to do this. They last at least 12 hours, so I just do a shot before leaving home, and take one with me for the flight coming home. So, anyone who feels that DVT might be a problem, might want to ask their Dr. about this option. Over here, pretty much anytime you are in the hospital and are even somewhat bed-ridden, they come around every morning and give you a shot for thrombosis.