Effect of Frequent Hypothermia

[cutlass]

Hi DocV,

Yes, desensitizing is an option as are courses of antihistamines or corticosteroids (commonly), or antibodies (rarely). I was also informed of a genetic disorder, familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, which can present like cold urticaria but is very rare (< 1:1M) with typical onset in infancy.

And I agree with your assessments of the other diver's problem with prolonged chilling. Patience and persistence may be needed. I recall a devil of a case which included a similar complaint. Everything looked fine; thyroid function appeared ok, but BP tended to be low. The key clue finally came out in casual conversation with the patient: As a teenager he had taken a spill while skiing with brief loss of consciousness: "No biggie", he said. And 'shore 'nuff, imaging revealed hypothalamic damage.

 

[Akimbo]

&#8230; Few areas of military activity seem to generate as much myth and legend as diving. &#8230;

... I believe the particular study to which you may be referring is an unpublished work by the avuncular and world-reknown diving medicine expert Dr. Carl Edmonds. I believe it involved military divers active in the 50s & 60s. In any event, it definitely addresses the issue at hand&#8230;

I never actually saw the report myself. Do you have a copy of Dr. Carl Edmonds' study? I wonder if the legend originated from this report or if it goes back even farther than that. I have to ask myself what made somebody go to the trouble to research and write the report in the first place? Were RN divers bemoaning the end of their family name? Maybe they were razing some new guy out of diving school who had an uncle in The House of Lords? Was somebody trying to get a grant for a larger study?

I didn't read all of The effects of military service on spermatogenesis but I couldn&#8217;t find where it mentioned the RN report, let alone discredit it. I think it is reasonable to assume that RN divers in the 1950-60s spent a lot more time with their privates in really cold water than their Commonwealth brothers down under.

I have seen enough statistical data to convince me that hyperbaric exposure itself doesn&#8217;t cause male fertility issues. I have not seen anything that addresses hypothermic affects, especially with direct exposure of testes to cold water, within a short time before conception. Fortunately, there is no reason to pursue this study since there is no reason for divers to regularly freeze their balls off anymore!

Can you imagine how much they would have to pay human test subjects to participate a study like that&#8230; especially since the only action those specimens would see is inside a plastic cup and under a microscope!

 

[DocVikingo]

I recall a devil of a case which included a similar complaint. Everything looked fine; thyroid function appeared ok, but BP tended to be low. The key clue finally came out in casual conversation with the patient: As a teenager he had taken a spill while skiing with brief loss of consciousness: "No biggie", he said. And 'shore 'nuff, imaging revealed hypothalamic damage.

That's the type of case it's fun to hear about, just not to have to dx ; )

Regards,

Doc

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Akimbo,

Sorry about the confusion. My use of the phrase "The findings of that study were discredited many years ago" was inappropriate. What I meant to convey was that the myth was discredited many years ago.

As indicated, Dr. Edmonds' maunscript was unpublished and I therefore do not have a copy. I would wonder if even he still has it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the (misunderstood) myth somehow had its genesis in Dr. Edmonds' work. It's not much of a leap from Royal Australian Navy to Royal Navy divers.

I've pounded the literature research engines of a world famous medical teaching hospital with a vengeance and have come up empty handed on this specific issue.

Please let us know if you locate anything.

Regards,

Doc

 

[Akimbo]

&#8230;As indicated, Dr. Edmonds' maunscript was unpublished and I therefore do not have a copy. &#8230;

The hyperbaric docs I was stationed with in the USN had a copy and were my source of speculation that the statistical anomaly may have been caused by cold water rather than hyperbaric physiology. That&#8217;s how I learned that it was a small RN report on divers from the 50-60s rather than &#8220;Navy divers&#8221; (implying USN) reported in the media. The media reports may have been shortly before I enlisted in 1969 or maybe while I was in second class diving school in 1970.

Media reports were around the time that articles (and maybe a book?) were published describing how to choose gender by timing intercourse. The crux was/is that male sperm are faster swimmers than their sisters but can&#8217;t survive as long, especially at the normal uterine pH levels compared to pH during ovulation. This greater susceptibility of male sperm to environmental conditions was mentioned as support for the doctors&#8217; conjecture. This would have been 1971 to 1973.

It does seem possible that the RN report could have prompted Dr. Edmonds to investigate Aussi Navy divers. From your understanding, did the Edmonds study find a statistical anomaly? There's always an observation(s) that prompts researchers to investigate a subject. That motivation may be the most interesting part of the discussion. I appreciate your efforts to find information on this. Unfortunately I have lost track of all those Navy Docs. A hardcopy is probably buried somewhere at EDU in Panama City or in some retired Navy diver&#8217;s attic.

One thing for sure, the imprecise media reporting of the time sure caused a lot of angst among young Navy divers, let alone their wives and girlfriends.