Decompression sickness, also known as DCS or diver’s disease, occurs when dissolved gases in the blood turn into bubbles due to rapid decompression. Symptoms include joint pain, confusion, and even paralysis. Treatment involves recompression and slow decompression in a hyperbaric chamber. Diving with a buddy and under supervision is recommended to prevent DCS.
Decompression sickness is a medical condition that occurs in people who have experienced rapid decompression. It most classically affects divers who surface too quickly, although decompression sickness can also occur when a pressurized aircraft loses pressure or when someone exits a pressurized environment such as a caisson or mine. Decompression sickness is also called DCS, decompression sickness, back pain, diver’s disease, or caisson disease.
This condition is caused by the body’s response to pressure. As the pressure around a body increases, the levels of dissolved gases in the blood increase. When the pressure drops rapidly, these dissolved gases turn into bubbles, instead of naturally dissipating through the lungs. These blisters cause a variety of health problems. Because nitrogen is the most abundant dissolved gas, the bubbles involved in decompression sickness are typically nitrogen bubbles.
When people dive to certain depths, they have to undergo decompression before they can surface. In decompression, the body is given a chance to acclimate to the change in pressure when a diver makes a series of decompression stops in the water or sits in a pressurized chamber known as a hyperbaric chamber and the pressure is slowly reduced over a period of minutes or hours. Hyperbaric chambers are also used in the treatment of decompression sickness: sometimes the best treatment is recompression followed by slow decompression. Special gas mixtures are also used for deep sea diving to reduce the risk of developing DCS.
Symptoms associated with DCS include joint pain, itching, chest pain, cramping, skin irritation, and neurological symptoms such as confusion or even paralysis. Sometimes the symptoms are mild and a diver may not be aware that they have developed decompression sickness, leading some divers to joke that denial is another common symptom. Diving with a buddy and under the supervision of someone who has experience with decompression sickness is a good idea, as it ensures that someone can intervene quickly if decompression sickness develops.
This condition can cause long-lasting physical and neurological problems ranging from incontinence to partial paralysis if not addressed. In some cases, it can even be fatal. Fortunately, rates of decompression sickness have dropped dramatically since the condition was first identified and understood, and the incidence rate is very low. The condition is most common among inexperienced divers and divers who experience emergencies that force them to surface in less than ideal conditions.
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