Prolonged TV watching linked to fatal Pulmonary Embolisms

[AussieNeil]

Not CLL related, but I wouldn't count on our tendency to have lower platelet counts to protect us from this risk, which can be overcome by not staying inactive for lengthy periods of time.

'Results of a large study suggest that watching television for prolonged periods may increase a person’s risk of fatal pulmonary embolism (PE).

The study, which included more than 86,000 subjects, showed that watching an average of 5 or more hours of TV per day was associated with more than twice the risk of fatal PE as watching less than 2.5 hours daily.

:

“[T]ake a break, stand up, and walk around during the television viewing,”Toru Shirakawa, of Osaka University in Japan said. “Drinking water for preventing dehydration is also important.”'

The cause is thought to be prolonged leg immobility.

While the article concludes that more study is needed, Shirakawa noted that this risk may also apply with other media based sedentary activities, such as prolonged computer use and may be even prolonged phone use.

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Neil

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