Computer work can kill, report warns

SITTING in front of your computer screen for long hours could be lethal, a report has warned.

The European Respiratory Journal says office workers using computers for long periods of time are at risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots similar to people travelling on airplanes for long-haul flights.

It reports the case of a young man from New Zealand who nearly died after developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following long periods of physical inactivity in front of his computer. The man, the first recorded victim of a condition dubbed e-thrombosis, spent up to 18-hours a day using his computer.