Window seat choice may lead to DVT

Airline passengers sitting in window seats may be at greatest risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis.

Travel Insurance News - 29/01/2009

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New research that has been conducted in Europe suggests that passengers who sit in window seats on airplanes are twice a likely to develop life-threatening blood clots than those who sit in either middle or aisle seats.

Obese passengers sitting in window seats are reported to be six times more likely to develop a deep vein thrombosis that if they are seated elsewhere.

Researchers believe the findings could be explained by the cramped conditions usually accompanying window seats in economy class. Alternatively, passengers sitting in window seats may find that they fall asleep more easily, according to the Daily Mail.

A DVT clot can be fatal if it passes through the bloodstream and causes a pulmonary embolism in the lungs.

Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Centre, who conducted the study, said: "Passengers in a window seat had a two-fold increase in risk compared to those in an aisle seat, while there was no increase in risk in those in middle seats. One explanation may be that passengers are in a more cramped position in a window seat."

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