Decompression Sickness
Also called bends, dysbarism, or DCS. Decompression sickness is a Diving Health Risk which is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood as well as in the tissues of the body. This happens when a Diver ascends fast from a dive.
Causes and Symptoms
In relation to Diving, Henry's Law implies that there is a direct relationship between pressure and the amount of gas that is absorbed by the tissues of our body. In other words, as pressure increases, the quantity of gas also increases.
As the Diver descends, pressure increases, and tissues absorb higher concentrations of nitrogen. More and more nitrogen is taken up by the body as the Diver goes deeper and stays longer underwater. The problem comes in when the Diver starts to ascend in a quick manner. The decrease of pressure causes the absorbed nitrogen to be released through the lungs when the Diver breathes out. Bubbles form in the blood if the nitrogen is forced to come out of the solution too quickly. Micro-bubbles cannot cause DCS, but small bubbles can merge to produce big ones, and if there are enough large bubbles in your bloodstream, Decompression sickness can occur.
Nitrogen bubbles form in different parts of the body so the symptoms really depend on where the bubbles develop. Some common symptoms include headache, extreme fatigue, joint pain, rashes, and muscular weakness.
Prevention
Proper ascent will usually do the trick. You should ascend slowly enough, especially when you are from a deep dive.
Do not push your limits. Avoid too long and deep dives.
Factors such as age, percentage of fat in your body, and level of fitness can also contribute on the possibility of experiencing Decompression sickness.
Treatment
Give 100% oxygen through a mask and bring the Diver to a decompression chamber to reduce the size of bubbles in the bloodstream. Make sure to give the Diver plenty of fluids.
Prevention is always better than cure! Diving is a sport which entails a lot of risks if certain precautions are not followed. We hope this article has helped you learn more about Decompression Sickness. For more Diving Health Risks, go to the next section.
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