Chalk up another problem with being figuratively chained to a desk — a report in the European Respiratory Journal has linked a case of too much time at a computer to deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
DVT, often associated with sitting in one position for too long, is a condition where blood clots develop, usually in the legs or pelvis, particularly during travel. The case reported in the European Respiratory Journal, however, referred to “ethrombosis,” DVT caused from sitting in one position in front of a computer for too long.
The Journal reported earlier this year on the first documented case of ethrombosis when a New Zealand man who spent up to 18 hours each day working at his computer, developed a massive blood clot in his legs; the clot eventually broke off, traveled to the man’s lungs and nearly caused his death.
Dr Richard Beasley, of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, one of the ethrombosis researchers quoted in a BBC article on the subject, warned that computer use could be putting many people at risk for developing ethrombosis. “It may be similar to the situation with the risk of blood clots with long distance air travel — it was not until there was publicity with individual cases that the real extent of the problem was recognised [sic],” Beasley said in the BBC article.
Beasley’s recommendations for reducing the risk of ethrombosis include taking regular breaks away from the computer and participating in activities that exercise the foot and leg.
Source: BBC.com