hello,
can you please provide advice regarding any precautions and/ or risks accociated with a person scuba diving who has
hemochromatosis.
regards,
john
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Hello John:
Simply put, hemochromatosis is the condition caused by excessive iron stores in the body. The condition causes some symptoms, none of which are adverse to diving, unless in the last stages of the condition. (fatigue, joint pain, abdominal pain, or organ damage.)
More about
hemochromatosis.
The treatment of the condition is 'phlebotomy' (blood donation), as often as twice weekly for the about the first year of treatment then periodically thereafter, depending on the rapidity of the rebuild of the red blood cells
(about 120 days in most individuals) and the serum ferritin (iron) and TIBC (iron binding capacity).
Phlebotomy can cause temporary decrease in blood volume, which is thought to increase the risk of decompression sickness. It generally takes about 24 hours for the actively hydrating individual to get his blood volume back to what it was before the donation - so one would be advised not to dive for about that period of time.
Also, some individuals have feelings of faintness, nausea and weakness after donating. Of course, if present, these would be inimical to the diver.
I hope this is helpful!
Ern Campbell, MD
Scubadoc's Diving Medicine
Scubadoc's Diving Medicine