Definition

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a condition that occurs when divers come back to the surface too quickly after being deep under water. It is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood stream and, in the worst cases, can cause death.

Description

Decompression sickness is a relatively uncommon disorder among divers. Divers Alert Network (DAN), a worldwide organization devoted to safe-diving research and promotion, estimates that less than 1 percent of all divers experience the condition. A study conducted on Okinawa (an island in the Pacific Ocean near Japan) of military personnel who make tens of thousands of dives each year, found an average of one case of decompression sickness for every 7,400 divers and one death for every 76,900 dives. Mild cases may even go unnoticed by divers.

Decompression sickness is also known by other names, such as decompression illness and caisson (pronounced KAY-son) disease...