Ian Anderson, the front man of the famous British rock group Jethro Tull shares his experience of developing DVT while travelling between 3 continents in 2001:Confessions of a DVT Victim and Ten Tips for Survival
"But something didn't feel right with the leg - a deeper and more sinister feeling than just the dodgy knee - so, after a brief discussion with a worried hotel doctor, I took myself off to a Sydney hospital and insisted on an ultrasound scan to determine that, hopefully, no clot was present. Alas, the scan showed a huge and life-threatening clot stretching from just above the ankle to the upper thigh, just below the groin."
A new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis doubles after traveling for just four hours.
Comments from Twitter:
@AllergyNet (Dr John Weiner): Blood clots x3 higher on long-distance flights than the general population http://goo.gl/Tk45Z - Wear those stockings to Australia! Would you believe, I've got tickets to see JT in Melbourne in April, he prob should have a shot of anticoagulant plus the stocking!
Why aging rock stars still tour: "Once the lights go down and the crowds roar, something magical happens. All your aches and pains go" http://buff.ly/1hfxi3x
References:
Thrombosis risks double after 4-hour travel: study. Reuters, 06/2007.
Image source: JethroTull.com
More information: Ian Anderson Interview, 2003 on YouTube.