asthma and diving

[SCUBedoobedoo]

I have a slight case of asthma. when is too much asthma or wheezing to be able to go on a dive?:doctor:

 

[mdr231]

do I know you?

Michael
:gecko:

 

[SCUBedoobedoo]

No i don't believe we have met before. I see you are from NJ too! where abouts? im in the Old Bridge area.

 

[SubMariner]

No one can answer that one over the Internet. The only way to tell is to go to a physician that is knowledgeable in hyberbaric (diving) medicine & have h/h run the proper pulmonary tests on you to see how well you lungs are functioning.

There are additional variables such as how long you have had asthma, how often you take medicine or use an inhaler, etc., etc., etc.

Generally, active asthmatics are not cleared to dive.

~SubMariner~

 

[Kayla]

about the farthest away from being a medical professional, but i can tell you about my personal experience...

I have a slight case of asthma myself, and I have never had a problem with it. I would definetley consult a professional however, even if you don't like what he/ she has to say.


Kayla

 

[Saturation]

Asthma is not the same disease to all people.

If your asthma is controlled, meaning you rarely use your breakthrough inhaler or haven't had an attack within days before diving AND the caused is known like pollen, rag weed, cat hair etc., it should be safe to dive after clearance by a medical doctor.

If the cause is unknown, there is a problem since it would be difficult to say if its something internal to the patient, and that the same cause could trigger an attack while at depth.

 

[Genesis]

who wanted to learn to dive recently.

She has exercise-triggered asthma which is "reasonably" controlled (e.g. she "very rarely" needs her inhaler), and had every intent of simply checking "no" on all the medical boxes.

I told her WHY that was unwise, and strongly advised her to get a real honest-to-god Medical Evaluation by a diving physican before she undertook training, along with giving her DAN's phone number.

I explained that you CAN end up having to exert yourself heavily underwater, even though its not common, and that if she DID trigger an attack attempting to use an inhaler underwater would simply not work. The mental image I left her with of trying to breathe at 100' and being unable to do so, and being unable to suck off the inhaler to "fix" it, was perhaps a bit overdramatic, but I didn't want to see her expire down there!

That was enough for her to seek evaluation and, ultimately, she was told that attempting to dive would be unwise in her particular situation.

 

[SCUBedoobedoo]

thanks for all your advice i will take it under careful consideration

 

[Saturation]

Genesis once bubbled...
who wanted to learn to dive recently.

She has exercise-triggered asthma which is "reasonably" controlled (e.g. she "very rarely" needs her inhaler), and had every intent of simply checking "no" on all the medical boxes.

I told her WHY that was unwise, and strongly advised her to get a real honest-to-god Medical Evaluation by a diving physican before she undertook training, along with giving her DAN's phone number.

I explained that you CAN end up having to exert yourself heavily underwater, even though its not common, and that if she DID trigger an attack attempting to use an inhaler underwater would simply not work. The mental image I left her with of trying to breathe at 100' and being unable to do so, and being unable to suck off the inhaler to "fix" it, was perhaps a bit overdramatic, but I didn't want to see her expire down there!

That was enough for her to seek evaluation and, ultimately, she was told that attempting to dive would be unwise in her particular situation.

Yes, how right you are G. that type of asthma: exertion induced asthma, despite it being a known cause i.e., 'exertion' is very high risk, it is essentially contraindicated in diving ... unless something can be done to eliminate the reaction beforehand such as with inhibitor drugs like cromolyn sodium or locate a secondary factor.

The problem with this type of asthma is that its unknown why exertion triggers asthma. If some secondary factor can be discovered, such as cold air, there may be some way to work around the trigger factor.

A bronchoconstrictive episode at depth would be the equivalent of holding your breath and ascending, leading to barotrauma, and worse, AGE.

 

[SubMariner]

With asthma it's not just attack-triggers that are of a concern, it's the general pulmonary state that is also an issue. Sometimes asthmatics have scarring or narrowing of their bronchial tubes that increase their risk for embolisms or pulmonary barotraumas.

That's why consulting a diving physician who can run proper pulmonary function tests is essential for ANYONE with a history of asthma, active or not.

~SubMariner~