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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_034D_01BF3B2E.12B5C520 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Shamelessly stolen without remorse from yahoo news- http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991130/sc/health_scuba_2.html Tuesday November 30 12:46 AM ET=20 Scuba Diving Dangerous for Heart Defect Sufferers CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scuba diving can be dangerous for the one out of = every four people who have a common heart defect that makes them = susceptible to decompression sickness and brain lesions, researchers = said on Monday.=20 The heart condition, called patent foramen ovale (PFO), is an opening in = the connection between the left and right sides of the heart. Those with = PFO can have relatively harmless skin rashes or develop serious = neurological problems such as vertigo or even paralysis.=20 During dives, inert gas bubbles that form in the bloodstream can bypass = the filter in the heart of PFO sufferers that would normally send the = bubbles to the lungs.=20 The bubbles then travel through the body, causing decompression = sickness, and into the brain where they can create lesions, said Michael = Knauth, a radiologist at the University of Heidelberg Medical School in = Germany, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the = Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.=20 Decompression sickness, which can be fatal, occurs when gas bubbles are = released into tissue after a too rapid decrease in air pressure = following a stay in a compressed atmosphere -- such as under water.=20 In cranial examinations of 88 scuba divers, Knauth said four of five = divers with PFO were found to have several brain lesions each. Brain = lesions were rare among non-PFO divers.=20 ``It is unclear whether the brain lesions can cause long-term problems, = but common sense would tell you if you have enough of them and they're = in the right places, they could cause problems, such as memory = disturbances or difficulty concentrating,'' Knauth said.=20 In another aspect of the study, 19 out of 24 divers who had unexplained = diving incidents, despite following the rules of decompression such as = descending and ascending slowly, turned out to have PFO. Some also had = large brain lesions.=20 ``Divers with PFOs should reduce the depth they are descending to, not = stay deep too long, ascend slowly, increase the time they spend above = water between dives and avoid several descents during one dive,'' Knauth = said.=20 Knauth suggested prospective divers get tested for PFO before being = certified to dive.=20 ------=_NextPart_000_034D_01BF3B2E.12B5C520 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.3110.7"' name=3DGENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>Shamelessly = stolen without=20 remorse from yahoo news-</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 face=3D"Comic Sans MS" = size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2><A=20 href=3D"http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991130/sc/health_scuba_2.html">= http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991130/sc/health_scuba_2.html</A></FONT= ></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 face=3D"Comic Sans MS" = size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2><!-- Yahoo = TimeStamp: 943940802 --><B>Tuesday November 30 12:46 AM ET</B>=20 <H2>Scuba Diving Dangerous for Heart Defect Sufferers</H2><!-- TextStart = --> <P>CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scuba diving can be dangerous for the one out of = every=20 four people who have a common heart defect that makes them susceptible = to=20 decompression sickness and brain lesions, researchers said on Monday.=20 <P>The heart condition, called patent foramen ovale (PFO), is an opening = in the=20 connection between the left and right sides of the heart. Those with PFO = can=20 have relatively harmless skin rashes or develop serious neurological = problems=20 such as vertigo or even paralysis.=20 <P>During dives, inert gas bubbles that form in the bloodstream can = bypass the=20 filter in the heart of PFO sufferers that would normally send the = bubbles to the=20 lungs.=20 <P>The bubbles then travel through the body, causing decompression = sickness, and=20 into the brain where they can create lesions, said Michael Knauth, a = radiologist=20 at the University of Heidelberg Medical School in Germany, who presented = his=20 findings to the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North = America in=20 Chicago.=20 <P>Decompression sickness, which can be fatal, occurs when gas bubbles = are=20 released into tissue after a too rapid decrease in air pressure = following a stay=20 in a compressed atmosphere -- such as under water.=20 <P>In cranial examinations of 88 scuba divers, Knauth said four of five = divers=20 with PFO were found to have several brain lesions each. Brain lesions = were rare=20 among non-PFO divers.=20 <P>``It is unclear whether the brain lesions can cause long-term = problems, but=20 common sense would tell you if you have enough of them and they're in = the right=20 places, they could cause problems, such as memory disturbances or = difficulty=20 concentrating,'' Knauth said.=20 <P>In another aspect of the study, 19 out of 24 divers who had = unexplained=20 diving incidents, despite following the rules of decompression such as=20 descending and ascending slowly, turned out to have PFO. Some also had = large=20 brain lesions.=20 <P>``Divers with PFOs should reduce the depth they are descending to, = not stay=20 deep too long, ascend slowly, increase the time they spend above water = between=20 dives and avoid several descents during one dive,'' Knauth said.=20 <P>Knauth suggested prospective divers get tested for PFO before being = certified=20 to dive.<!-- TextEnd --> </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_034D_01BF3B2E.12B5C520--
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