Office workers who spend long hours at their desk may be more prone to potentially fatal blood clots than passengers on long-haul flights, according to new research. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs. The clots can travel to the heart, lungs or brain, causing chest pains, breathlessness or even death from a heart attack or stroke. The condition is normally linked to air passengers on long flights who have little space to stretch out. However, a study by Professor Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand has found that a third of patients admitted to hospital with DVT were office workers who spent long periods at a computer.
A total of 34% of the 62 people admitted with blood clots had been seated at their desks for long periods, compared with 21% of patients who had recently travelled on long-distance flights. Beasley commented, "People who work in offices are not actually getting up and walking around like they used to. New technology has made it easier for them to do this and some workers sit at their screens for 14 hours a day, often spending hours without getting up."
To mitigate the effects of DVT, employees should be encouraged to take regular breaks from their computer to stretch their legs, as well as taking a proper lunch break away from their desk. It can be argued that employers are failing to provide adequate levels of health and well-being support. Occupational health is an issue that has grown in importance over the last 10 to 20 years. In the past it had focused on providing medical advice and treatment for workers performing high-risk occupations. However, the concept of employee "wellness" has developed recently, which shifts the emphasis from physical work, to those doing more mental and office based work. This shift means businesses can no longer afford to believe that investing in occupational health has nothing to offer them.
