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Occupational Medicine Advance Access originally published online on June 4, 2007
Occupational Medicine 2007 57(5):349-354; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqm032
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Reduced health-related quality of life in former North Sea divers is associated with decompression sickness

Ågot Irgens1, Marit Grønning2, Kari Troland1, Endre Sundal1, Harald Nyland3 and Einar Thorsen4

1 Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen 5021, Norway
2 Department of Neurology and Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen 5021, Norway
3 Institute of Neurology, University of Bergen and Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen 5021, Norway
4 Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen 5021, Norway

Background Diving is associated with long-term effects on several organ systems.

Aim The objective was to investigate the impact of decompression sickness (DCS) and diving exposure on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in former Norwegian North Sea divers.

Methods HRQL was recorded by a questionnaire in the cohort of 375 Norwegian North Sea divers registered before 1990. Demographic data, relevant health data and data on diving education, history of DCS and SF-36 were recorded in 230 divers.

Results All SF-36 sub-scores were significantly reduced compared with Norwegian norms. Reduced scores were seen for all scales among divers who reported previous DCS compared to those without DCS. A decreasing trend in scores was seen when comparing no DCS, skin or joint DCS and neurological DCS. There was a decreasing trend in scores related to number of days in saturation and maximal depth. Stratification on DCS showed that the impact of saturation diving was present only in divers with DCS.

Conclusions HRQL was reduced in this study sample of divers. Having had DCS during the diving career contributed significantly to the reduction in all SF-36 scales, and apparently neurological DCS has the most pronounced impact. Cumulative diving exposure including days in saturation and maximal depth contributed to a reduced HRQL.

Keywords      Decompression sickness; diving; occupational disease; quality of life; SF-36

Correspondence to: Ågot Irgens, Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen 5021, Norway. Tel: +47 559738 82; fax: +47 559751 37; e-mail: aagot.irgens{at}helse-bergen.no


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