IT鈥橲 OK to fly even if you have serious heart problems, according to this week鈥檚 advice from the .
Its are much more upbeat than previous reports on air travel and heart disease, which warned of heart attacks and lung failure from deep-vein thrombosis 鈥� when blood clots form, blocking veins and arteries.
鈥淭he cabin environment doesn鈥檛 pose a significant risk to heart health,鈥� says lead author David Smith at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. The key for those with a pre-existing heart condition, Smith says, is to make sure that it is fully diagnosed and under control when you fly. 鈥淚t鈥檚 down to how stable your condition is,鈥� he says.
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People who have recently had heart attacks, for example, should make sure they take their medication, avoid caffeine and alcohol, and walk regularly during the flight. The advice is published in the journal Heart, and lists in-flight precautions for a range of heart conditions ().
The report does acknowledge that the risk of clots forming in the lungs is doubled in healthy people during flights of 4 hours or more. However, this is because people are forced to sit still for hours, and the risk applies to other forms of long-haul travel, such as car or train, Smith says.
