Long term effects of diving

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Darian Dunn

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Hilliard, Oh
If you follow all the correct table, computers, instructions, are there any long term effects from diving?

BTW, I am not talking about diving once and a while I am talking many dives all the time, technical stuff.

I figure before I go the true technical route I should understand the long term consequences of my actions.

Thanks
 
There were reports of bone damage(necrosis?), possibly arthritus. Divers experience sun damage such as cataracts, wrinkles and skin cancer. Bends can cause permanent disability. Hi oxygen PP may cause some unknown long term effect due to free radical chemistry. Very speculative.
 
I am sure there are long term negative effects from diving but the most obvious is a great life. In doing what needs to be done to go on the next trip / dive, I look back and say it is a great life diving has given me. As the line goes, "Oh the things I have seen..."

Greg
NAUI #6788
 
Doesn’t sound too bad.

So I am not killing brain cell on every dive or anything too detrimental to my health.
 
Hi devjr,

Let's bone up on those arthritides.

Best regards.

DocVikingo
 
Darian,

I don't believe there is a simple answer to your question. It definitly isn't a yes or no.

I'm not an MD so hopefully some of the really qualified board members will point you to where you can do some reading and research.

You may also check out some of the material at DAN's Website.

There isn't a very extensive database of information on long term impact to technical diving. Most of the info has been based upon extrapolating commercial diving info. You may also check with some of the info from the WKPP site. They are starting to establish some meaningful info.

The bottom line is that we all accept the risks- known and unknown.

DSAO
 
Hi ScubaJorgen,

I believe they are called "exostoses," and you are correct that cold water can contribute to their formation. Here's an article from Sep '01. It's on surfers, but the implications for divers are obvious:

"VETERAN SURFERS WHO CATCH THE WAVE IN COLD WATERS ARE MORE PRONE TO BUILD-UP OF BONE IN THE EAR CANAL

"Surfer's ear may lead to more severe lesions and permanent ear damage.

Denver, CO -- "Surfer's ear," is a progressive buildup of bone within the ear canal, due to long-term exposure to cold water temperatures. The build-up or bony projections are called "external auditory exostoses;" accordingly, the disorder is also referred to as "diffuse exostosis." The condition is observed in avid surfers along the east and west coasts and is, at times, usually worse in the ear that faces the ocean at the time of "catching the wave." Diffuse exostosis is distinct from osteomas of the external auditory canal, which are usually singular, congenital bony malformations that typically occur at embryonic bony suture lines and do not enlarge with time. Surfer's ear must also be distinguished from "swimmer's ear," which is otherwise known as diffuse external otitis.

How long is too much time in the water? A medical research team from Norfolk, VA, set out to demonstrate the prevalence and severity of external auditory exostoses (EAE) in a population of surfers and to examine the relationship between these lesions and length of time surfed as well as water temperature. They believed that subjects who predominantly surfed in colder waters would demonstrate more frequent and more severe exostoses.

The authors of the study, "Surfer's Ear: External Auditory Exostoses Are More Prevalent in Cold Water Surfers," are David F. Kroon, MD, Craig S. Derkay, MD, Louise Lawson, and Joseph McCook, all from the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. Their findings were presented on September 11 at the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting/OTO EXPO, being held September 9-12, at the Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO.

Methodology: The study included the participation of 202 avid surfers (91 percent male, 9 percent female, median age 17 years). EAE were graded based on the extent of external auditory canal patency (exposure or openness). Grades of normal (100 percent patency), mild (66-99 percent patency), and moderate-severe (less than 66 percent patency) were assigned. Otoscopic findings were correlated with data collected via questionnaires detailing surfing habits.

Results: There was a 38 percent overall prevalence of EAE, with 69 percent of lesions graded as mild and 31 percent graded as moderate-severe. Professional surfers and those subjects who surfed predominantly in colder waters were found to be at significantly increased risk for the development of EAE. The number of years surfed was also found to be significant, increasing one's risk for developing an exostosis by 12 percent per year and for developing more severe lesions by 10 percent per year. A significant relationship between cold water surfing and more severe EAE was not observed.

Conclusions: EAE are more prevalent in cold water surfers, and additional years surfing not only increase one's risk for developing an EAE, but also for developing more severe lesions."

Best regards.

DocVikingo
 
I have heard the same thing in regards to my other habit (Kayaking).
 
Hi Darian,

Yes, it's the repeated cold water in the external auditory canal, not the sport per se.

Best regards.

DocVikingo
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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