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People who sit at desks for long periods of time are as much at risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots as those who take long distance flights, according to a new study.
Airlines around the world have faced lawsuits from passengers who claim they weren't adequately warned of the risk of blood clots, commonly known as economy class syndrome.
But a study by Wellington Hospital doctor Richard Beasley, published in the British Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, shows prolonged seated immobility is at least as significant a risk.
Beasley interviewed 97 Wellington Hospital patients under the age of 65 who had recently been admitted to hospital with deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolisms, which happen when a clot moves to the lungs.
He found the risk of clots increased as the total number of hours spent seated at work grew.
