Plane window seat could be dangerous

| January 31st, 2009 | By: Piyush Goyal | Category: Science/Tech

The window seats in airplanes are usually the most sought but scientists advise against them.

window_seat1 According to a new study, passengers who sit by the windows in flights have a higher risk of developing fatal clots in their blood vessels as compared to those who sit either in the middle or aisle seats.

That ‘seat-with-a-view’ may increase the chances of deep veindefine thrombosisdefine (DVT). Researchers believe it could arise from being confined in one set position on the window seat.

A team of scientists at the Leiden University Medical Centre said, “Passengers in a window seat had a two-fold increase in risk compared to those in an aisle seat, while there was no increase in risk in those in middle seats. One explanation may be that passengers are in a more cramped position in a window seat.”

Besides, passengers are more like to fall asleep in window seats, further limiting their mobility and increasing the possibility of blood pooling, which may eventually result in a ‘Thrombus’ or clot.

A deep vein thrombus may be fatal if it gets detached from the place of origin and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs, causing pulmonarydefine embolism.

This is more applied to the ‘economy’ seats, as they are tighter than those of the business class. Reports suggest that flying business class reduces the risk of a DVT by 30 per cent.

Obese passengers face six times the risk of developing a blockage on taking a window seat as compared to opting for the seat next to the aisle, reports the Telegraph.

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