[abstract] A STUDY OF THE DIVING PRACTICES AND THE INDICENCE OF DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS IN A POPULATION OF INDIGENOUS HOOKAH DIVING FISHERMEN IN THE PHILIPPINES. (i: Madridejos)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: DDRC has a programme in the Philippines concentrating on the diving habits and morbidity from decompression sickness (DCI) in diving fishermen. We have concentrated on two villages near to Cebu. Madridejos is a village on Bantayan Island and Noc Nocan which is a small island community. This presentation describes the study carried out in Madridejos..Method. A member of the team (CV) lived in the village and conducted a survey of the history and occurence of decompression sickness amongst the divers by using the services of interpreters. First a retropective survey of the experience of diving illness was taken and by examination of the local church records, some idea of the mortality in the community was obtained. A study was then made of the incidence of the diving practices of the divers and in particular of the accuracy with which they reported depth/times by using a dive logger (Nemesis). Inquiry was also made of symptoms after each observed dive. RESULTS: 115 divers were identified in the village of approximately 2000 inhabitants. There were 30 diving boats. It was found from the church record that 3-5 men die each year from diving-related illness though the quality of enquiry in the village show that 92/115 men have regular limb pain, one fifth have experienced significant neurological symptoms with weakness and 6percent describe lymphoedema. Skin rashes have been experienced by 20percent of the men. In the study with the dive logger, 85 working dives were observed. After the divers had reported their depth and time measured according to their own estimates, the logger was interrogated and it was found that the men were actually very good at knowing the duration and depth of their dives to the nearest 5 feet and 5 minutes. Of the 85 dives logged, 56 were outside the accepted limits for any common published diving tables and in 6 (7percent) instances, symptoms occurred after logged dives. CONCLUSION: This was an essential pilot study. The accuracy with which the divers reported their depth and time indicates that surveys are possible and reliable. The general incidence of disease is an indication of conditions in other indigenous diving communities in the region.