Tv watching tied to pulmonary embolism? A study in Japan recently concluded that number of hours of television can have an effect on risk or rate of pulmonary emboli. The study suggests that those who watched 5 or more hours of television per day have 2 times greater risk of developing clots in the lungs than those that watched half as much television.
A pulmonary embolism is a blockage in an artery in the lungs that has traveled through the bloodstream. Pulmonary emboli can be accompanied with symptoms such as chest pains, shortness of breath while inhaling, and coughing up blood.
The effected leg may present with swelling, redness, tenderness and may be warm to the touch. Signs of a pulmonary embolism can include a slight fever, rapid breathing, an accelerated heart rate. On the more severe in, signs could include insanely low blood pressure, passing out and even sudden death.
A blood clot is very serious. It can result in permanent damage to lung tissue or other organs, or cause death, but many people who have it have no symptoms. According to the National Institute of Health, there are more than 200,000 cases of pulmonary emboli every year in the United States.
Pulmonary embolism is far less common in Japan. Japanese tend to lead more mobile lifestyles compared to the sedentary (inactive) lifestyles of many Americans.
“Researchers calculated that among people who watched less than two and a half hours of TV, the rate of deaths from pulmonary embolism were 2.8 per 100,000 people per year, compared to a rate of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 per year for those who watched five or more hours daily.”
The researchers also found the those who watched more than 2 hours of television daily had a 40% increase in risk of a pulmonary embolism death.
To combat or limit the risks of pulmonary embolism, people should walk around, stretch, stand up, exercise and massage legs after long periods of being sedentary.
To reduce the risks of pulmonary embolism, people should make a conscious effort to life more active lives.
The rest of the story that supports this posting can be found here.
