Zm. Sulaiman et al., RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ALTITUDE DECOMPRESSION-SICKNESS, Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 68(8), 1997, pp. 695-698
Background: Susceptibility to altitude decompression sickness (DCS) is
influenced by a multitude of factors including, potentially, an indiv
idual's age. Previous attempts by authors to determine the effect of a
ge on DCS susceptibility have produced conflicting results. The purpos
e of this study was to try to clarify that conflict and to quantify th
e impact of age on DCS risk. Methods: We examined the Armstrong Labora
tory DCS Hypobaric Research Database containing data on 1299 subject f
light exposures conducted from 1983-94. Subjects were from 18-48 yr of
age. Exposure altitudes ranged from 11,500 Ft (3505 m) to 30,000 ft (
9144 m). The duration of exposure varied from 3-8 h and preoxygenation
time ranged from 0-2 h and 15 min. Data were compiled according to se
ven age groups. Results: The results show a significant three-fold inc
rease in susceptibility between the age group 18-21 and the group > 42
yr of age. The results also show a trend toward increased susceptibil
ity between the 18-21 group and the groups between 26 and 41 yr of age
. However, there was no significant change within the range of 26-41 y
r. Conclusion: There is a trend toward increased DCS susceptibility wi
th increasing age, with a particularly strong trend for individuals ov
er 42 yr of age.