Chest
Clinical InvestigationsSmokingLarge Lungs in Divers: Natural Selection or a Training Effect?
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
One hundred seventy-one divers with FEV1% <80% on simple spirometry (ST-250; Fukuda Sangyo; Chiba, Japan) during medical evaluation were referred for further investigation. Before testing, the spirometer was calibrated according to the recommendations of the American Thoracic Society.10 FVC, FEV1, and FEV1% were measured. The best result of at least three tests was used for evaluation. All of the pulmonary function tests were conducted in a single pulmonary function laboratory by the same
Results
Of the 171 divers with low FEV1%, 109 met the criteria for both large lungs and nonsmoking and were included in the study. The remaining 62 divers were excluded for the following reasons: 6 divers had large lungs but were smokers, and the other 56 divers had pulmonary function findings, suggestive of obstructive airflow limitation of unknown etiology. Twelve of these 56 divers were smokers.
Thus, the 109 divers included in the study were healthy, nonsmoking males with no history, symptoms, or
Discussion
During diving, the respiratory system must deal with increased gas density, the effects of immersion, and the use of breathing apparatus, all of which increase respiratory mechanical load.11121314151617 Decompression stress and breathing high-oxygen concentrations can also have detrimental effects on pulmonary function.11121318 Therefore, one of the major concerns that must be addressed when assessing pulmonary fitness to dive is whether specific lung diseases might predispose the diver to
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