Long-haul Air Travel; One of the Venous Thromboembolism Risk Factors

ABSTRACT

There has recently been increased publicity on the risk of venous thrombosis after long-haul flights. This paper reviews the evidence related to the association between air travel, especially long-haul and venous thromboembolism (VTE). The evidence consists only of case reports, clinical case-control studies and observational studies, but with few study of Korean population. Some studies have suggested that there is no clear association, whereas others have indicated a strong relationship. However, the overall association between air travel and VTE is likely to be weak, mainly affecting passengers with additional risk factors for VTE. The available evidence may not be adequate to estimate the risk. Further well-desiged case-control studies are urgently needed in order to identify the risk factors related air travel.