The hospital closest to the arrivals hall has dealt with 30 passengers killed by the thrombosis in the last three years.

Many die within minutes of landing at the airport, says the research by John Belstead, a consultant at Ashford hospital, Middlesex.

The condition, linked to cramped seating aboard airliners, is known as "economy class syndrome" but can affect passengers in more expensive seats.

On long haul flights a blood clot forms in a vein, usually in the leg, and works its way into the heart or lungs where it causes death.

Doctors say a simple aspirin tablet taken a few hours before take-off thins the blood during long periods of inactivity. The number of victims would fall significantly if more passengers followed this advice.

A third of the study's patients, who were aged between 28 and the late 70s, had flown to Heathrow from Australia in economy class seats.

In a comparable study last month, Japanese doctors said that more than three people a year die at Narita airport in Tokyo from the thrombosis. Between 100 and 150 long-haul passengers are treated for the syndrome upon arrival in Tokyo annually.

SOURCE: Staff and agencies
Guardian Unlimited

DATE: Wednesday January 10, 2001

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