The Dangers of Prolonged Sitting at a Computer – A Risk of Stroke and Death
Introduction
Dmitry Berezovsky, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Moscow State Pedagogical University, determined that prolonged work at a computer in a sitting position threatens to cause a stroke, and as a result, death may occur.
Thrombosis: A Multifactorial Pathological Process
In an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, he says: “Thrombosis is a multifactorial pathological process. In the nineteenth century, the physician Rudolf Virchow identified three causes that lead to the formation of blood clots. Firstly, stagnation of blood, i.e., cessation of blood flow, slowing down its flow in the veins and disruption of the blood coagulation process. “Blood clotting itself. We have inherited from our distant ancestors a much stronger blood clotting system than the anticoagulant one.”
The Risk of Thrombosis
The professor points out that the vessels of a person who is in a sitting position for a long time experience a lot of pressure, which leads to stagnation of blood or a slowdown in blood flow and increases the risk of thrombosis. And there is the so-called “traveler’s thrombosis” – which occurs when a person is in a sitting position on an airplane for a long time, say, 7-8 hours.
And he warns: “A blood clot occurs in the lower extremities. This thrombus can separate and enter the cavity of the heart through the systemic circulation, and from there into the small blood vessels, and the person will die.”
The Importance of Genetic Factors
The genetic factor is of great importance, he says, because it increases the risk of blood clots, and the genes that cause blood clotting are FII and FV, and the presence of these mutations increases the formation of blood clots in the presence of an external factor, such as sitting for a long time.
The Role of Coffee and Homocysteine
The doctor notes that e-sportsmen and everyone involved in intellectual work often drink a lot of coffee to improve concentration and attention.
He says: “Coffee increases the level of the amino acid homocysteine. And a high concentration of this amino acid in the blood plasma has a very detrimental effect on the cells of the lining layer of the walls of blood vessels, which perform a unique function – the production of substances that stimulate blood clotting, as well as anticoagulants. But homocysteine only enhances coagulation properties of vessels, endothelial cells.
Prevention Measures
For everyone working in a sitting position, the doctor recommends taking folic acid, which is contained in green plants – onions, parsley, dill and others.
He says: “Sit less, drink less coffee: no more than two or three cups a day. Do a five-minute exercise every hour while you work. Walk more. Walk, don’t stand.”
Source
Source: Izvestia newspaper.
