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Diabetes and diving

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Diving with diabetes can be very dangerous not only for the person who suffers it but to his buddy as well. If a diver has a hypoglycemic attack while he is into the water, he might loose consciousness and die due to it. This way, it is important that those who suffer from diabetic and wish to dive are very careful and aware of the risks this sport imply to them.

Hypoglycemic attacks have a higher chance to happen when the person goes through physiological stress as it happens while practicing an exercise such as diving. This way, the chance of a diabetic person to suffer such attack while diving is not only higher than when he is not practicing any exercise but even more than others in which he could receive help right away. Besides help, if a person suffers a diabetes attack while diving he would also have the additional problem of the environment in which he is and the lack of oxygen it might imply.

In some parts of the world, diabetic people who wish to dive must go through a medical examination and only in case they pass the standard established by it they are allowed to practice the sport. Besides this, a diabetic person who has suffered a hypoglycemic attack within one year at the time they wish to dive they would not be allowed to do it.

Another condition which a diabetic person must accomplish in order to be able to dive safely is to have the approval of his physician or the diabetic clinic which he attends. This is not only to assure the diabetic person and those who will be responsible of him during his diving that he is in proper health shape but also to make sure this person regularly attends a clinic and has his diabetes under control.

Besides all what was mentioned above, many diving academies ask diabetic people to complete forms on a regular basis and might also ask his physician to do so as well. A diabetic diver should always be aware of the risks he goes through by diving with diabetes and should regularly go through medical controls in order to be sure his health is in balance.

Source: Dive Pilot