Sitting for long boosts blood clots
People who regularly spend long hours sitting have significantly a higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots in lungs, a new study says.
The study of 69,950 female nurses revealed a doubled risk of developing pulmonary embolism in women who spent more than 41 hours a week or 6 hours a day sitting.
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream.
In most cases, the clots are small and not deadly, but pulmonary embolisms that would stop blood flow can be life-threatening and lead to sudden death. They are known as the second leading cause of death.
Previous studies have linked factors such as age, immobility on long-haul flights, obesity, smoking and hypertension to increased risk of experiencing embolism.
The new research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), suggests that people with a sedentary lifestyle are at a higher risk of experiencing the fatal condition, according to Christopher Kabrhel and his colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Because the new research was just carried out on women aged older than 50, further studies are needed to see if the results also apply to men and younger women.
Source: presstv.ir
