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Long hours at computer can be deadly
- research.
CANBERRA, Jan 29 AAP - The next time
your boss asks you to put in a few
extra hours at your desk - remind
him it could be deadly.
New Zealand researchers
have found that sitting at a computer
for hours on end can cause fatal blood
clots, just as long flights can lead
to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), known
as economy-class syndrome.
They discovered
the link when a 32-year-old man who
sat at his computer terminal for up
to 18 hours a day nearly died after
he developed a blood clot in his leg
which travelled to his lungs.
"This is
the first reported case of an association
between repeated prolonged immobility
sitting at a computer and life-threatening
(lung embolism)," wrote the researchers
led by Richard Beasley from the Wellington-based
Medical Research Institute of New
Zealand.
They suggest the
condition be called "e-thrombosis".
DVT is caused
by blood thickening in a vein which
forms a clot and causes the leg to
swell.
The most serious
complication is when part of the clot
breaks off and travels to the heart
or other vital organs, which can sometimes
be fatal.
Dr Beasley told
AAP it was important the community
was made aware of this new risk factor
for developing fatally potential blood
clots.
"It's unusual
for a fit person in their 30s to get
such a massive blood clot so we looked
hard to find any risk factors,"
he said.
The penny dropped
when they realised the man worked
for extraordinarily long hours at
his computer.
"It also
turned out he worked for many hours
at a time without getting up,"
Dr Beasley said.
"It became
apparent that this clearly was the
reason why he got the blood clot and
it's very similar to the traveller
thrombosis or economy-class syndrome."
Dr Beasley warned
e-thrombosis was an outcome of a modern
sedentary lifestyle.
"This appears
to be the first report of its nature
... (and) we need to raise awareness
of its possibility," he said.
"In view
of the very dominant way in which
the computer has influenced our lifestyle,
it really was something that we needed
to look at in more detail."
Dr Beasley recommends
people working with computers ensure
they get up from their desk regularly
and do leg exercises while they sit
at their terminals.
DVT as a result
of prolonged sitting was first recognised
during the Blitz in World War II,
when cases of fatal embolisms emerged
among Londoners who sat for long periods
in deckchairs in air-raid shelters.
More recently,
DVT has emerged as a potential, though
very remote, risk for travellers on
long, intercontinental flights.
Pregnant women,
people who are overweight, the elderly,
smokers and people with coronary heart
disease and certain blood conditions
are considered to be most at risk.
The British high
court last month blocked a bid by
55 victims of deep-vein thrombosis
who had filed suit against 27 airlines,
alleging that the carriers had breached
their duty of care because of their
cramped seating.
It ruled that
the plaintiffs had no case under the
1929 Warsaw Convention on air travel
as DVT was unexpected and could not
be considered an accident in the normal
operating of an aircraft.
To prevent DVT,
doctors suggest flexing one's toes
and ankles, drinking water and avoiding
alcohol, and getting up to stretch
one's legs at least once an hour.
An aspirin, which helps to thin the
blood, can also help.
Source: CCH - 30 January 2003
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