WHAT IS `ECONOMY CLASS SYNDROME´?

The term ‘economy class syndrome’ refers to the occurrence of thrombotic events during long-haul flights. The term is given because it is mainly associated to the economy class passengers, which usually travel in uncomfortable seats for long hours.

It is the result from several factors related to de aircraft cabin and to the passenger. All those together can cause excessive blood coagulation, which can result in venous thromboembolism (VTE). VTE is the third cause of death by vascular diseases, affecting at 0.25% of the population. It is a clinical condition that involves venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

There are some factors related to the aircraft cabin and the passenger that that may cause VTE:

The Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) has published three categories which establish the risk of suffering VTE (shown in the following table).  Especially moderate and high risk individuals should be careful once they decide to travel by air.

Published by Dusse et al. (2017)

Preventive measures are extremely important. There are some guidelines that should be taken into consideration to prevent the occurrence of venous thrombosis:

•          Avoid dehydration.
•          Exercise regularly: short walks and calf muscle exercises.
•          Wear a suitable outfit: prioritize comfort and avoid tight clothes.
•          The use of compression stockings should be encouraged.

In following posts, we will talk about short exercise routines you can do in your journeys to prevent VTE.

Travelling is one of the greatest pleasures in live, do not stop doing it!

You can find more information about this topic in the following papers:

Abunnaja, S., Clyde, M., Cuviello, A., Brenes, R. A., & Tripodi, G. (2014). Concomitant deep venous thrombosis, femoral artery thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism after air travel. Case Reports in Vascular Medicine, 2014, 174147. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/174147

Dusse, L. M. S. A., Silva, M. V. F., Freitas, L. G., Marcolino, M. S., & Carvalho, M. das G. (2017). Economy class syndrome: what is it and who are the individuals at risk? Revista Brasileira de Hematologia E Hemoterapia, 39(4), 349–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjhh.2017.05.001

Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional.