Eating Lunch at Desk Increases Risk of DVT

Eating lunch at your desk can help you finish off your work quickly, but it can also increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which, if untreated, may turn fatal.

Recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics showed that more than 3,700 people died of DVT over the last year, with the number of deaths among people under 40 years rising from 67 in 2007 to 94 in 2010.

Now a new survey carried out by UK-based research consultancy, ComRes has found that more than 73 percent of office workers admitted to eating their lunch on their desks. The researchers added that that chances of developing DVT was double among the workers who spend nearly 10 hours every day sitting in front of their computers.

DVT charity Lifeblood's Annya Stephens-Boal said that around eight out of 10 DVT patients are unaware that they have a problem as there are no signs or symptoms. "We all do it, work long hours and grab a sandwich at our desk. We believe there are 60,000 DVT cases a year throughout the UK. The scariest part is that 80 percent have no signs at all, no swelling, redness or pain. We call it the silent killer", she said.

Source: Medindia