Economy class syndromes I82.8

Economy class syndrome is the development of thrombosis in the veins of the legs due to sitting for long periods in cramped seats during air travel. This results in an increased risk of pulmonary embolism.
However, a long bus journey or other long sitting is also a similar risk for a venous thrombosis, which is why it is better to speak of a travel or sitting thrombosis - travel thrombosis

Sitting for long periods of time with reduced movement hinders the return flow of blood from the leg periphery to the heart. On the one hand, this is due to the unavoidable compression of the veins when sitting. Particularly through the considerable bending in the knee and groin when sitting in a tight position.

Furthermore, the muscle tension of the leg and foot muscles (muscle pumps), which promote the return flow of blood from the peripheral veins to the heart, is missing. In an airplane, the reduced air pressure is added, which leads to an increased swelling of the body with an expansion of the veins. This also slows down the venous blood flow to the heart.

S.u. Travel thrombosis

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2. Kelman CW et al (2003) Deep vein thrombosis and air travel: record linkage study. BMJ 327:1072.
3. Ringwald J et al (2014) The place of new oral anticoagulants in travel medicine. Travel Med Infect Dis 12:7-19.
4. Watson HG et al (2011)Guidelines on travel-related venous thrombosis. Br J Haematol 152:31-34.