Sedentary officegoers face doubled clot-risk

The officegoers whose nature of work is sedentary have a reason to worry as their routine may be putting them twice at risk of suffering from a dangerous blood clot, says a new survey.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), linked to cramped long-haul flights, affect those who sits for extended periods without getting up to move around. DVT is a blood clot that forms in a deep vein, generally in your leg or pelvis.

The disease may not have any symptoms at all or can show symptoms like swelling, redness and pain. If a clot becomes dislodged and passes through the blood vessels, it can also affect the lungs showing symptoms like coughing, chest pain and breathlessness. The disease can be fatal.

The study was done on 1,000 people under 30 years and the researchers observed that young officegoers sat still for an average of three hours and three quarters, and consumed lunch at their desk in place of taking the opportunity to move around, which would decrease their risk of a clot, say a report of the Telegraph.

For every hour spent sitting, the risk of a blood clot increases by 10 percent and there are around 60,000 potentially fatal blood clots recorded in Britain each year, according to research the survey conducted by lifeblood, a British charity.

Richard Beasley, director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, added: "People know that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in later life."

"However, very few are aware of the fact that prolonged immobility in the workplace also poses an immediate threat, more than doubling the risk of developing a potentially fatal blood clot. It is vital that this potential risk is recognised in both the office and at home," he said

Beverley Hunt, medical director of the thrombosis charity Lifeblood, said: "Our research has uncovered a ticking time-bomb with some nine million office workers and countless young gamers putting themselves at risk of a potentially fatal blood clot. The human body is designed for the 'caveman' lifestyle; active, agile and constantly mobile. Instead, we have become increasingly sedentary."

With inputs from IANS