Proteomics Study of British Divers in Decompression Sickness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Impact of Decompression Sickness on the plasma proteome of British divers
IRAS ID
291474
Contact name
Edward Shattock
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NTNU
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Decompression Sickness (DCS) is a condition characterised by the formation of bubbles of gas within the body as a result of reduced ambient pressure. It is most common among scuba divers although it can also present in aviators and astronauts. DCS is a systemic disease and triggers a whole set of physiological responses that can lead to severe and impairing symptoms such as limb weakness, vertigo and sensory disturbance. The mechanisms involved have been investigated extensively but we don't yet fully understand how these processes link to each other.
At DDRC healthcare we assess divers presenting with symptoms consistent with DCS and treat them with recompression therapy if appropriate. Recompression is the mainstay of treatment for DCS and involves putting the patient inside a chamber and increasing the ambient pressure to a fixed treatment schedule. We aim to recruit these divers and take blood samples from them on presentation at DDRC and then again once their symptoms have resolved to examine the proteins in their blood. Differences in the levels of these proteins before and after treatment may help to better understand the links between the different mechanisms at work during DCS. The blood samples will be sent for analysis by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway who set up this project but unfortunately do not have access to a local population of divers.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EE/0066
Date of REC Opinion
22 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion