Aspirin won't beat DVT, doctors told
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Daily Telegraph 15 December, 2003
Dr Richard Dawood, a specialist in travel medicine, reports from an MPs' conference on travel-related deep-vein thrombosis, and urges caution when prescribing remedies for the condition.
Doctors should stop recommending aspirin to prevent travel- related DVT, according to a leading vascular physician.
Addressing MPs at a conference this week, Dr Ander Cohen, of King's College Hospital, said new research had shown aspirin to be remarkably ineffective in preventing the condition and its complications. These include pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal development that occurs when blood clots move from the legs to the lungs.
In addition, gastric bleeding is a rare but possible side effect of aspirin, so its large-scale, indiscriminate use should be avoided, he said.
In my opinion, recommendations for fighting DVT should be confined to methods that have been proved to help, such as wearing compression stockings, or those that can do no harm, such as drinking water and walking around the cabin.
High-risk travellers, such as those with a past history of DVT or a predisposition to blood clots, should ask their doctor about treatment with blood-thinning drugs.
John Smith, the MP for Vale of Glamorgan who chairs an all-party group on DVT, said he would table an early-day motion calling on the Government to press for changes in international law to force airlines to provide for the health and safety of passengers. Currently there is only a legal obligation to provide for safety.
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