The Truth about DVT

Imagine that you are planning on taking a long international flight, perhaps to somewhere nice and far away. You tell your friends and family and some constantly warn you about this mysterious disease where someone they know knows somebody, that knows somebody, that heard about or read about someone who died in the middle of a flight. They might tell you it has something to do with the legs, or maybe that it is a blood clot that went awry and attacked the brain. Maybe they say to you in the worrying manner that only a mother can, “Whatever you do, don’t fly in the economy seats.” You almost expect them to add, “Because that is where people go to die.”

Maybe your friendly admonishers know a lot about it or just fractions of rumours, but they tell you the extent of their knowledge anyway. Unfortunately you are just a wee bit worried about this mysterious so-called “economy class syndrome” and now you’re beginning to lose sleep. No need to fret though. As long as you know the truth about deep vein thrombosis (DVT) you can prevent it from happening to you.

Being stuffed in Economy Class like Cattle can have a  detrimental affect on your health

Historically, DVT has been known as “Milk Leg” because new mothers were believed to store milk in their legs. Currently, it is known as “the economy class syndrome” because some passengers who sit in cramped airplane quarters for several hours (typically, eight or so) without exercising have contracted the condition. Also known to suffer from DVT are patients who remain hospitalized after surgery and people who are bedded for a long stretch of time. Although DVT can be fatal and is not easily spotted, it is preventable.

Economy class and DVT go together a little too well

DVT is a blood clot that originates in the legs and sometimes dangerously travels to vital organs like the brain or the lungs. Blood clots usually occur when the skin is opened and blood rushes to surface and masses together to form a temporary wall to keep more blood from spilling out. This process is called coagulation. After the opening is healed and the skin closes over the congealed blood, the clot dissipates into the blood stream. In deep vein thrombosis, the blood clot doesn’t disintegrate yet rests within the vein in the leg. While the blood is trying to go up from the legs back to the heart, the remaining clot blocks the flow and the blood remains trapped.

Deep vein thrombosis has three basic causes. It occurs when the blood flow slows down or ceases in the deep veins, when a vessel wall is damaged, and when the blood stream coagulates at a much faster rate – as if it is put on hyper-drive (this is called hypercoagulation). There are also factors that can increase the odds of contacting DVT. These include long periods of stagnation or immobility with extremely limited leg motion (which explains the occurrences that happen while one is confined to bed or airplane seat), leg cramping, pregnancy, oral contraceptives (for example, birth control pills), having had DVT before, having had heart failure before, having undergone major trauma, aging, blood-letting from surgery (and really, what surgery does not involve loads of blood being released?), dehydration (which may cause the legs to cramp up), malignant tumours, and – according to a study released in 2008 – exposure to air pollution.

Nowhere to move can cause DVT

Unfortunately DVT is not always easy to detect. Less than half of those who suffer from the syndrome have recognizable symptoms. Additionally, the signs are not consistent and vary according to how developed the condition is. Some of the most prominent symptoms that you may find to indicate that you (or someone you love) may have the disease are a swollen or pained leg (and sometimes legs) or a tender calf. Other notable symptoms are that your leg is feeling tender or has gotten warmer. The leg also may be reddish or even have a blue discoloration (not unlike when you get a bruise). Another sign could be an ache felt when you pull your leg up. However, many of these symptoms could also signify any of a number of other conditions, such as blood clots in arteries, a simple bruise, arthritis, fractured bones, and varicose veins.

Since the symptoms are not readily detectable and may be confused with those of other medical conditions and since the majority of people do not even display symptoms of DVT, the best prescription absolutely is prevention. If you have had or are having surgery you should get out of bed and walk as soon as possible. If you are on a long flight, get up every hour and walk up and down the aisles. If you are not allowed to do that for security reasons – or because the people sharing the seats with you will not be courteous enough to allow you to slide to the aisle – then occasionally rotate or raise and lower your heels for a few minutes at a time. Drink lots of water before and during flights to reduce dehydration, which reduces the risk for leg cramps.

If you know that you may run a risk for acquiring DVT, you may want to wear compression stockings for the flight. The stockings work by pressing against your legs to keep blood from clotting there. You might also want to contact your physician about low-dose oral anticoagulant therapy (which uses blood-thinners like aspirin), Heparin therapy (for the time around a surgery), and intermittent pneumatic leg compression (which works in much the same way as the stockings).

Put on some surgical stockings to combat DVT - make sure they go on your legs though…

Deep vein thrombosis may sound scary but as you can see, if you are aware of what it is and how to prevent it and you are willing to take simple measures to prevent it from happening even though you are not at risk, then there is no reason to fear. Now you can tell your worrisome friends and your mom all about it and inform them of the truth about DVT. And then they too can reduce the risk of contracting deep vein thrombosis.

What have been your experiences of DVT? Please let us know by adding your comments below