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I decided to write this article based on my own experience, since I developed thrombosis on my last trip through Micronesia. Because of it, I suddenly found myself “flying” around local hospitals and genuinely fearing for my life instead of lounging on beautiful Pacific islands. My trip ended prematurely with hospitalization and a return to Slovakia with the assistance of my insurance company, where I was immediately hospitalized for another week. And even after being discharged from the hospital, the problems don’t end. <\/p>\n\n
What is thrombosis? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n Thrombosis is the formation or presence of a blood clot inside a blood vessel or a chamber of the heart, which can develop into an embolism. An embolus, in turn, is a blood clot that travels through the bloodstream until it reaches a narrowed vessel and blocks the circulation. In the worst cases, all of this ends in death. Thrombosis as an illness can appear within 2 to 4 weeks of completing a trip, and its risk increases two- to fourfold in proportion to the length of the route. <\/p>\n\n Thrombosis as an illness was first diagnosed in 1939 in a 19-year-old woman who had taken a several-hour car journey in the USA. Thrombosis is therefore not just an illness caused by flying, but it can also be triggered by a long trip by car, bus or train, or by sitting for a long time in a theater. However, in 1977 it was for the first time also given the name “economy class syndrome,” because it most often affects travelers who fly seated in economy class. The main reason is that on long flights these passengers not only fail to exercise their lower limbs, but also neglect prevention. With thrombosis it makes no difference whether a person is young or old; what matters is whether they spend more than 5 hours sitting while traveling. In that case anyone at all can develop it, and in the worst cases this illness can even cause death. <\/p>\n\n How do I know if I have thrombosis?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n In the initial stage of thrombosis there are usually no significant symptoms, which makes it somewhat harder to detect. However, the clear signs of thrombosis are usually the following symptoms:<\/p>\n\n Thrombosis in the arms usually manifests as swelling, increased visibility of the veins (they show through the skin), and the arms are often considerably painful.<\/p>\n\n Untreated thrombosis can develop into a pulmonary embolism, the symptoms of which are as follows:<\/p>\n\n In my case, for example, the thrombosis showed up as swelling in my right calf \u2014 it was as much as 3 centimeters bigger than the left one, it was hard, and over time I couldn’t stand on my right leg for very long. The veins in my right leg even started hurting when I urinated. <\/p>\n\n In such a case, you need to seek medical help as quickly as possible and under no circumstances put it off. You never know what kind of thrombosis you have or when the blood clot will break loose into the bloodstream. <\/p>\n\n The conditions in which the risk of developing thrombosis is higher are mainly prolonged sitting (more than 5 hours) or so-called immobility in a seated position. And of course also an elevated ambient temperature, which is common especially in means of transport, along with the dehydration it causes. Thrombosis is not limited to air travel, though \u2014 it can also occur on a long trip by bus, train or car, or from excessive sitting without movement at cultural events. <\/p>\n\n The condition can be made even worse by, for example, taking sedatives, sleeping pills or hypnotics, especially in combination with alcohol. That’s why it’s very important during a flight (or a journey by any means of transport) to drink water regularly, avoid alcohol, and at least take a short walk or do some exercises in the aisle once every 2 hours. <\/p>\n\n Just to illustrate \u2014 the cabin’s air humidity drops within the first 30 minutes from its original level of 60% to 20%. If you add to that drinking alcohol, or tea and coffee, which are naturally dehydrating, you’re asking for trouble. <\/p>\n\n For example, according to a 1986 study carried out at England’s Heathrow Airport, as many as 18% of all sudden deaths out of a total of 104 people that occurred at the airport were caused precisely by pulmonary embolism, whose origin is thrombosis.<\/p>\n\n Ak\u00e1\nje prevencia?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Bear in mind, too, that if you get thrombosis, the treatment can easily last 6 to 12 months. There’s also the risk that, depending on how “blocked” your vessels are, you won’t be able to fly for quite a while. You’ll be on a special regimen and taking strong blood-thinning medication. So you’re better off sticking to prevention: buy yourself some nice compression stockings, put them on, and forget about the alcohol. And you’ll avoid thrombosis \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.navratil.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Canva-Application-of-elastic-compression-bandage-1024x683.jpg\")
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