I do a great job managing my condition in my daily life, but I know that scuba diving carries its own medical considerations. What should I know before I start scuba diving with asthma? A huge percentage of the questions we receive at DAN concern scuba diving with asthma. As a chronic lung disease in which the breathing tubes bronchi narrow in response to various stimuli — including cold air, exercise and other atmospheric irritants common to divers — asthma understandably poses a risk for people wanting to breathe compressed gas underwater.
The primary concern for asthmatic divers is suffering an asthma attack while diving. Dangers to Divers All divers experience reductions in breathing capacity due to the effects of immersion and higher gas density in the water. At 33 feet below the surface, for example, the maximum breathing capacity for a healthy diver is only 70 percent of what it is at the surface; at feet, breathing capacity drops to approximately 50 percent. Peak flow is generally between 60 and 80 percent of normal.
Ironically, many patients with these symptoms do not believe they have asthma. Coughing with exercise or at night is a notable symptom and a likely indicator of this type of asthma. Daily medication, usually inhaled steroids, is required; short- acting bronchodilators may be needed for acute episodes.
Severe Persistent Asthma: People with this type of asthma have continual symptoms and peak flows of 60 percent of normal or less. Increases in symptom severity occur frequently, limiting physical activity, and nocturnal symptoms occur frequently.
Regular use of long-acting bronchodilators and oral steroids is required as is use of short-acting bronchodilators during acute episodes. Complications The treatment of asthma is relevant in determining its severity and the associated risk of diving. Implications in Diving For the Diver Countries have differing guidelines about whether people with asthma can dive.
In the United Kingdom, people whose asthma is well controlled may dive provided they have not needed a bronchodilator within 48 hours and they do not have cold-, exercise- or emotion-induced asthma. In Australia, the most conservative country in this respect, all divers are expected to pass a spirometry lung function test to rule out asthma prior to certification. Prospective divers with asthma should undergo both an assessment of lung function and an exercise test to gauge asthma severity.
Join the conversation Log in or create an account to comment. Community Poll What is the main reason you visit Asthma. To find information. To share my experience. To offer support. To find support. Sign up for emails Subscribe. Follow us Follow us on facebook Follow us on instagram Follow us on twitter. Some diving societies recommend that an asthmatic patient should successfully pass a bronchial provocation challenge. Recommendations also state that exercise-, emotion-, and cold-induced asthmatics should not dive.
Asthmatic patients requiring rescue medication within 48 h should not dive. Abstract The objective of this article is to review the available studies regarding asthma and SCUBA self-contained underwater breathing apparatus diving.
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