What are the signs of DVT?
You may get swelling, pain, tenderness and redness especially at the back of the leg below the knee. This is different from the mild ankle swelling that many people get during long haul flights and DVT usually though not always affects only one leg. These complaints may develop during the journey but more commonly hours or even days and up to 4 weeks later. The pain may be made worse by bending the foot upward towards the knee. In some cases there may be no signs or symptoms of DVT at all in the legs and problems only become obvious when a pulmonary embolus or PE develops from the clots in the legs. Fortunately PE is rare. PE can cause breathlessness, chest pain and in severe cases, collapse and death. Both DVT and PE, whatever the cause, are serious conditions and need urgent investigation and treatment.
