UK: Study suggests 20 per cent of deaths come after flights less than three hours long
A study by the Aviation Health Institute (AHI) suggests that air passengers are at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on short-haul flights as well as longer journeys.
The study, which involved more than 500 air passengers who suffered blood clots during flights, found that nearly 20 per cent of deaths from DVT occurred after flights less than three hours long. Many commentators over the years have stated that the condition is only brought on by long-haul flights.
The director of the AHI, Farrol Kahn, told the Daily Mail: “It is generally assumed that the longer the flight the greater the chance someone has of developing DVT. But what we have found is that even people who hop on and off a plane for a short journey are susceptible. The conditions travellers are exposed to on such a flight, such as the dryness of the air, the reduction in oxygen, the compression of veins and the prolonged immobility, are much more significant.”
According to the Mail, several million people in the UK are at high risk of contracting DVT – and while most people are not ill-effected by the condition, a small number die.
