Experts Warn of Blood Clot Risks During Long Journeys; Advise Precautions

As travel increases during the summer months, experts are highlighting the health risks associated with prolonged immobility, particularly concerning vascular health. Dr. Murat İlkar Gelişen, a Cardiovascular Surgeon at Medical Park Ankara Hospital, warns that long journeys exceeding four to five hours on planes, buses, or cars can lead to blood clots in the leg veins, a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

While the risk is lower for healthy individuals, those with existing venous insufficiency face a significantly higher danger. Gelişen states that individuals with venous insufficiency are approximately 5.3 times more likely to develop blood clots compared to the general population. He further explains that clots forming in the main deep veins of the legs are termed DVT, while clots in superficial veins are called thrombophlebitis.

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For individuals with venous insufficiency, wearing compression stockings during travel is also an effective method.

Certain groups are at a higher risk, including individuals recovering from orthopedic, brain, or abdominal surgeries, cancer patients, women in the postpartum period, and those using hormone therapy or birth control pills. Gelişen advises that if redness, pain, or swelling occurs in the legs during or after a long journey, medical attention should be sought promptly. A dislodged clot can travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition requiring immediate intervention.

To reduce these risks, Gelişen recommends simple yet effective measures. Travelers should consume plenty of fluids, take short walks for 3-5 minutes every one to two hours, and perform ankle and leg exercises while seated. For individuals with venous insufficiency, wearing compression stockings during travel is also a beneficial practice. He also urges people experiencing leg swelling with prolonged sitting or standing, or those with visible varicose veins, to consult a cardiovascular surgeon, even in the absence of pain or edema.

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If redness, pain, and swelling occur in the leg during or after a long journey, one should not wait and should apply to a health institution.