An increasing number of patients with controlled diabetes, asthma and other diseases are getting the green light for an activity that was once off limits: scuba diving.
There is little evidence to suggest that having asthma or diabetes should preclude a patient from venturing underwater, according to researchers at the Dive Medicine Symposium at Rutgers University.
"There's not a lot of strong data to suggest that diabetics are at increased risk" of potentially serious adverse events, said Dr. Michael Madsen, a fellow in undersea and hyperbaric medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Likewise for other depth-related illnesses such as arterial-gas embolism in the lungs or decompression sickness, also known as "the bends," he said.
The same thinking applies to most asthmatics, said Dr. David S. Lambert, who specializes in hyperbaric therapy at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Madsen said the major issue for diabetic divers is the potential for an underwater hypoglycemic episode that causes unconsciousness. These episodes are usually triggered by increased metabolic demands, since patients are "using more energy than usual when they're diving," he said.
They're particularly problematic for insulin-dependent diabetics, because their regular does of the hormone may be too high for someone undergoing increased activity.
There are also concerns about myocardial infarction (a heart attack) among diabetic divers from unrecognized vascular disease, Madsen said, although these threats are more frequently detected today and divers know about such risk in advance.
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