The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7177 p805-809
8 December 2001

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News summary

Travellers at DVT risk to seek pharmacists’ advice

Advice on travel-related deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been issued by the Department of Health this week.

It suggests that patients in high-risk groups should consult their doctors before travelling. These are patients who have:

• previously had a DVT or pulmonary embolism
• a family history of clotting conditions
• an inherited tendency to abnormal clotting
• cancer or have had treatment for cancer
• undergone major surgery in the past three months
• had a hip or knee replacement in the past three months
• suffered a stroke

It adds that these patients may also need to discuss the use of compression stockings and that pharmacists can offer advice on their use and fitting. It also advises women taking the oral contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy to discuss the use of compression stockings with their community pharmacists.

The Department’s advice has been sent to airlines and can be viewed at www.doh.gov.uk/dvt.

A news feature published earlier this year offers advice to pharmacists on traveller’s thrombosis (PJ, 27 January p116), including the use of compression hosiery. Further advice is contained in a continuing education article from our travel medicine series (PJ, 6 October, p464).

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