Important news to help reduce the risk of blood clots and economy class syndrome part 2Important news to help reduce the risk of blood clots and economy class syndrome part 2
As I pointed out in the preceding blog, any news that can help prevent a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which is a blood clot in a deep vein the leg, is welcome indeed because thousands of people die every year when a piece of a blood clot in the leg breaks off and travels to the lungs to become a potentially deadly pulmonary embolus.
The previous blog cited a recent heavily-hyped study that found that statin drugs could lower the risk of DVTs, but since it's way too soon to recommend taking statins just for this purpose, the good news is that another study that received far less attention also raised a good bit of hope that we might be able to prevent at least some DVTs.
This study, which was published in the relatively obscure Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis concluded that Vitamin D might counteract clot formation in the deep veins of the legs.
Specifically, in this Swedish study which looked at 40,000 women, Swedish women who suntan regularly had a 30 % reduced risk of DVT compared to women who avoid the sun, which is probably also why, these researchers point out, the rate of DVTs in Sweden goes up sharply during the long, cold, sunless Swedish winter.
Written by Dr. Art Hister
Sunday, 10 May 2009 00:00
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