healthmatters

Deep Vein Thrombosis(DVT)

Introduction
by Jo

Does DVT ( Deep Vein Thrombosis) affect lorry drivers?
I'm quite positive that it does. We don't seem to hear a lot about this yet, only when we hear about deaths after long haul flights. But DVT happens in milder cases as well, where the person just gets a swelling of the legs and after a while the clot can be dissolved without medication and the driver might never consider that he actually had a clot at all.
With drivers sitting still for upto 4.5 hours at a time, should the driver already have high blood pressure, it just may happen.
Does anybody know anything about this? Has there been any research done specially related to lorry drivers ?

Does HGV=DVT

by
Brian Weatherley

Are HGV wheelmen at a higher than normal risk from deep vein thrombosis or DVT as it's called these days? It seems to me to be a relevant question to ask--particularly in light of the story in yesterday's Daily Telegraph under the heading "Long trips 'can cause DVT - even in your car" According to the story (and I quote the opening paragraph): "Long distance travel by air, coach,car or train can triple the risk of potentially fatal blood clots even in journeys of only four hours a Government report said yesterday." Add 30 minutes to that and you've got the longest single period you can drive a truck for!

So is BLB being unnecessarily alarmist? But I do wonder whether anyone has done any real research into the incidence of DVT amongst UK HGV drivers. It appears to be the case that the longer the journey sitting in one place the greater the risk---the most vulnerable are those travelling for more than 12 hours, people over 6ft 2in (who are most affected by a potential lack of leg-room) and those with some inherited blood conditions. (I've deliberately left out the other 'at-risk' group--women on oral contraception)......more

http://www.tnn.co.uk/

Professional Drivers Association

Raising Standards

Lifeblood - the Thrombosis Charity

A blood clot within a vein is known as a venous thrombosis. The most common type of venous thrombosis is a deep vein thrombosis(DVT) in the leg.

If this happens, all the tissues drained by the vein can become swollen and painful due to the blood being unable to escape.

A major concern is that someone with venous thrombosis may develop a pulmonary embolism. When this happens, part of the clot (an embolus) may break off, travel up the body and through the heart to the lungs, blocking an artery.

This is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition and up to 1 in 10 people who suffer a pulmonary embolism will die if it is not treated......more

An internet resource on Venous Thromboembolism

www.dvt.org

What is DVT

A thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a form of thrombosis that develops in one of the deep veins of the body.
DVT often begins in the calf or thigh because blood moves relatively slowly in these areas, particularly if exercise is limited. As the blood begins to pool in an area, a clot develops and can attach itself to the wall of a vessel or in more severe cases become wedged within a vessel, blocking blood flow......more

News

DVT Linked to poor Air Quality in Jets

DVT was first linked to air travel in 1954 and recent studies have suggested that it can increase the risk of a fatal clot by up to four times. Until today it was widely thought that it was brought on by long periods spent in cramped seats without exercise.

Many airlines responded with information cards advising passengers on the exercises to do during a flight to minimise the risk.

Farrol Kahn, the director of Aviation Health, a non-profit body that deals with air travel health issues, said: "This is a very significant study in that for the first time it establishes a solid link between air travel and DVT."

DVT is the formation of blood clots within blood vessels, often in the large, deep veins in the lower legs.

The condition can block the flow of blood and cause tissue damage, and can be fatal if a clot breaks away and reaches the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism.

Around 100,000 people get DVT in Britain each year, of which some 10 per cent are thought to develop it from air travel. The condition kills 500 to 1,000 people each year.......more