Decompression Sickness
(Bends)
Scuba diving has become a popular sport with thousands of people taking
diving vacations. Because most divers return home by air, the relationship
between diving and flying must be appreciated. Decompression sickness is
caused by nitrogen bubbles forming in the blood or body fluids whenever one
goes from a high pressure environment to a low pressure environment. This can
happen when surfacing from a dive or going to altitude in an airplane. The risk of
decompression sickness is greatly increased if one flies too soon after diving.