The study's leader, Professor Richard Beasley of New Zealand's privately funded Medical Research Institute, told the associated press that the study found that 34% of patients admittedto hospital with blood clots had been seated at workfor long periods.

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a condition in which a blood clot forms in the deeep veins of the legs. The condition can be fatal if part of the clot breaks off and blocks a blood vessel in the lungs. The condition has been linked to long-haul flights and dubbed 'economy class syndrome', because passangers travelling often do not have the space or the oppertunity to spread their legs enough to reduce the risk of blood clotting when they are in the air.

"Being seated for long periods of time... The risk (of blood clots developing in the veins of the legs) is certainly there," Beasly said.

"There are considerably more people who are seated for long periods at work as part of their normal day than they are travelling,"...