THE holidays are upon us and it is the season for air travel. Before you decide to get on that plane taking you away from life’s daily grind, consider a few important facts. Relax, I am not going to warn you about the food you will eat at your destination or the water you will drink nor of the dangers of walking alone in suspicious neighborhoods decked in your "I am a tourist, rob me if you dare" outfit. Legitimate concerns though these are, the risk that I have in mind is something much more insidious.

You may have heard it called economy class syndrome. However, this is a misnomer and hides the real dangers of what is medically known as deep vein thrombosis or DVT. Simply put, DVT means that a blood clot has formed within a vein, usually in the leg and the clot can partially or completely block the flow of blood through the vein. The danger is that the clot will move through the body and lodge in the lungs, heart or brain, and if untreated, may lead to the person’s death. What makes DVT so insidious is that usually no symptoms appear. If there are symptoms, they may be pain or tenderness in the affected area, raised skin temperature around the area, some of the surface veins will occasionally be more visible through the skin and there may be a rapid heartbeat or a sudden unexplained cough. There may also be pain on flexing the foot upward. DVT typically strikes patients who are immobile for long periods of time especially after undergoing operations. Another entire group is also at risk — the air traveler.

According to some studies, DVT claims the life of at least one airline passenger a month at Heathrow. Indeed, who can forget Emma Christoffersen returning home from Sydney in October 2000, dying in the arrivals hall from the effects of a blood clot? However, not all deaths are as sudden and you may have a DVT for several weeks before it blocks a major organ. Thus the link between the flight and the blood clot may not be so obvious.

The cramped conditions on most flights and the poor air quality are important factors that may result in DVT. Beware though, that the condition is not restricted to economy class, or indeed to air travel. DVT affects business and first class travelers equally in addition to long-distance travel by other means, such as cars, trains or buses. While awareness of the danger has been slowly growing in the last few years, the problem was, in fact, diagnosed as early as 1940. However, because of commercial considerations, most airlines have declined to acknowledge that a problem exists or that they are in any way responsible for the health of their passengers. Some have ludicrously claimed that passengers should inform themselves of the dangers! With the number of passengers already declining, airlines certainly don’t need anything else to scare away profits. However, contrary to that "other" problem, DVT can be easily prevented. Some airlines have indeed begun to educate their passengers on how to avoid DVT through the in-flight magazine. Committees though are campaigning for the warning and advice to be spelled out during the routine safety procedures just before take-off.

But before talking of prevention, it is important to first identify the groups at risk of developing DVT. The condition is most frequent in people aged over 40 who fall into any of the following categories: Those who have cancer or have had treatment for cancer; those who are obese; those with varicose veins; those with a family history of DVT; those who have undergone major surgery in the last three months and those who have had a stroke or who are immobile. Women who take contraceptives or who are on hormone replacement therapy are also at greater risk of developing DVT in addition to women who are pregnant or who have just given birth.

The ways in which anyone in these groups can avoid DVT is to (a) drink plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout the flight — around one liter per hour (b) keep moving; get up at least once an hour and take a walk down the aisle and while seated exercise your feet by flexing the toes up and rotating the ankles (c) take a low dosage aspirin tablet a few hours before the flight — after consulting with your doctor first to be on the safe side.

As a result of various pressures, some governments have been looking further into the issue of DVT. In fact, the British government has accepted recommendations that the seat dimensions may need to be reconsidered and that the issue of in-flight smoking and cabin air quality in general may need further investigation.

So there you have it — one more alarmist perspective on the air travel situation. As though it isn’t enough that Osama Bin Laden has made it difficult for any of us to travel without going through a whole range of security checks and metal detectors turned up so high that the unfortunate few, with more than one filling in their mouths, may have to undergo a strip-search to find the source of the "beep-beep". Perhaps it would be a good idea just to stay put and tour the wonders of our fair city. Indeed why do we need to travel — Marks & Spencer is open for business in Jamjoom! And if that doesn’t make you happy then, you can enjoy a veritable gastronomic feast at TGI Friday’s — that is if you can stand (and I mean that literally) to wait some 45 minutes for a table!