British newspaper: Sitting in the window seat could kill you

Are you a window seat or aisle seat person?

A British newspaper alleges that the distinction is akin to choosing life or death.

Britain's Daily Mail is citing a new report out in the British Journal of Hematology by a Dutch research group that says sitting in the window seat significantly increases the chance that you will develop deep vein thrombosis, a dangerous blood clot that, if it travels up to your lungs or heart, could kill you.

DVT occurs when you sit for long periods of time and therefore impede the natural flow of blood through your veins. The thinking is that window seat passengers are more likely to fall asleep and therefore remain relatively motionless for long stretches of time, increasing the risk of developing DVT.

By how much? Window seat passengers are twice as likely to develop DVT than passengers who choose to sit on the aisle, the report says. If you're fat, you're six times more likely to develop a blockage sitting by the window versus on the aisle. Perhaps not surprisingly, business class and first class passengers are less at risk.

What about middle seats, I hear you asking? The researchers found no difference sitting there versus the aisle.

Health experts for some time now have been warning about the risk of DVT for airline passengers on long haul flights, and highly recommend stretches and walks around the cabin at regular intervals to keep the blood flowing. Uma Thurman recently took this to heart.

Researchers found that drinking water had no impact on results. However, they report that drinking one alcoholic drink appeared to help against developing blockages-- which makes sense. One reason you're not allowed to drink a day or so before surgery is that alcohol impedes blood's natural ability to clot.

Filed under: Airlines, Travel Health