Jet Airways Mumbai-Japiur flight health scare: Health problems associated with air travel

At least 30 passengers suffered ear and nose bleeding in a Mumbai-Jaipur Jet Airways flight due to low cabin pressure during the ascent. Air travel can affect your health in different ways. If you travel by air, you must read this.

Upneet Pansare | Updated: September 20, 2018 12:15 pm

Do you get ear pain when your plane lands? © Shutterstock

There was a major scare for passengers of a Jet Airways Mumbai-Jaipur flight today when at least 30 passengers suffered ear and nose bleeding due to low cabin pressure during the ascent. The flight 9W-697 with 166 passengers and five crew, was forced to return to Mumbai shortly after take-off, said a Jet Airways spokesperson. Several passengers complained of severe headaches and at least 30 reported bleeding from nose and ears and were immediately administered first-aid by a team of doctors at the airport. Airline sources said that the incident may have happened after the crew reportedly missed activating what is called a ‘bleed switch’ before take-off, leading to the disturbance in the cabin pressure with oxygen masks getting deployed. According to news reports, 10 passengers were taken to a hospital for immediate treatment.

There is no doubt that travelling by flights can be very dangerous to your health if proper care isn’t taken by the crew. Even though the air pressure in cabin mid-air is maintained at a certain level, it is still lower than that at sea level which can have a huge impact on your body. According to the World Health Organisation, at typical cruising altitudes in the range 11 000–12 200 m (36 000–40 000 feet), air pressure in the cabin is equivalent to the outside air pressure at 1800–2400 m (6000–8000 feet) above sea level. This means that our bodies take up less oxygen (hypoxia). As long as you are healthy, reduced cabin air pressure doesn’t make too much of a difference to you. But, WHO notes, ‘passengers with certain medical conditions, particularly heart and lung diseases and blood disorders such as anaemia (in particular sickle-cell anaemia), may not tolerate this reduced oxygen level (hypoxia) very well.’ They may also require additional oxygen supply during flight (which, in some airlines, is arranged for by the crew upon special request and at an additional cost).

The difference in air pressure in cabins also leads to expansion and contraction of gases with the body. The Eustachian tubes (opening between the middle ear and nose) re-adjust which can lead to ear pain and popping sensation in the ears. Some methods to alleviate this ear pain, as suggested by WHO include: short forceful expiration against a pinched nose and closed mouth (Valsalva manoeuvre) and for infants, feeding or giving a pacifier (dummy) to stimulate swallowing.
WHO also notes that those with ear, nose and sinus infections should avoid flying because pain and injury may result from the inability to equalize pressure differences. Use of decongestant nasal drops shortly before the flight and again before descent may be helpful. The expansion of gas in the abdomen can cause discomfort, although this is usually mild. Some forms of surgery (e.g. abdominal surgery) and other medical treatments or tests (e.g. treatment for a detached retina) may introduce air or other gases into a body cavity. Travellers who have recently undergone such procedures should ask their physician how long they should wait before undertaking air travel, warns WHO.

Long-haul flights can also put at risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) according to Dr Pankaj Patel, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, SL Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate. Immobility for a long duration can cause blood clots in one or more deep veins of your body that may lead to cramping, pain and soreness in the leg.

According to a research by Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, flight attendants are at high risk of cancer because they are regularly exposed to the largest effective annual ionizing radiation dose relative to all other radiation workers because of both their exposure to and lack of protection from cosmic radiation in the plane.

With inputs from IANS, WHO

Published: September 20, 2018 12:06 pm | Updated:September 20, 2018 12:15 pm

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