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What You Need to Know About the Risk of Blood Clots on Long Flights
People with IBD (Crohn’s disease or UC) have a higher risk of blood clots, especially during active disease. Long flights increase clot risk because of prolonged immobility, so the article’s travel-focused precautions are relevant to patients planning air travel.
Adults with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), caregivers planning travel for someone with IBD, and clinicians who advise patients about travel risk.
What To Know
This article summarizes travel safety steps to reduce risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism on long flights, with specific mention that people with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) have higher clot risk, especially during active flares.
It describes precautions: stay on medications, consider flexible travel plans if flaring, move frequently during flights, use calf exercises or walk the aisle, and use 15–20 mmHg compression stockings. It also lists common DVT and pulmonary embolism warning signs and advises seeking immediate care for worrying symptoms.
The piece is practical and aimed at general readers planning air travel. It references clinicians and a patient travel agent, and cites relative risk increases for people with IBD versus the general population without giving study details. It does not provide new clinical data or treatment recommendations.
If you have IBD and are preparing to fly, discuss your individual risk with your gastroenterologist, especially if your disease is active or you use medications that affect clotting. They can advise on whether any additional precautions (including medical-grade compression, timing of medications, or prescription blood thinners) are appropriate for you.
This is a general-audience article summarizing established precautions rather than reporting new research. It cites increased clot risk with active IBD but does not provide detailed study methods or numeric absolute risks for specific patient subgroups. Individual risk and need for medical interventions (like anticoagulation) should be decided with a clinician.
