ATOPY, AIRWAY REACTIVITY AND COMPRESSED-AIR DIVING IN MALES

A decline in expiratory flow rates in divers has recently been attribu ted to chronic exposure to hyberbaric air. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to stimuli due to a hyperbaric environment may play a certain ro le in this context, The aim of this study was to determine the prevale nce of AHR in compressed air divers and to assess the value of bronchi al challenges for prediction of fitness to dive. A cross-sectional sam ple of 59 healthy male volunteers - 28 divers and 31 diving candidates (controls)- who had been found fit to dive in a diving medical examin ation underwent additional allergy screening (skin prick and serum IgE ) and a histamine bronchial challenge. Pre- and postchallenge body ple thysmography was completed to assess AHR. AHR to histamine was signifi cantly increased among divers and positively related to diving experie nce whereas divers and controls did not differ significantly with resp ect to age, anthropometric data, current smoking habits, skin prick re action, and elevated serum IgE. Our results indicate an increased prev alence of AHR to nonspecific inhalation stimuli in experienced divers. Bronchial challenge tests may be helpful to detect asthmatics in the medical assessment of fitness to dive and for follow-up examinations d uring a diver's career.