Type 1 diabetes is commonly considered a contraindication for scuba diving, mainly on account of the risk of hypoglycemia. The Diabete Sommerso (Diabetes Underwater) project was launched in 2004 in Milan. The rationale was that, provided all the necessary safety conditions are satisfied, there are many good reasons for proposing this sport to young people with diabetes mellitus. Our aim was to confirm that, after a thorough, dedicated training program, well-controlled, complication-free diabetic patients can safely dive, without any additional medical and metabolic risks. The project was subsequently extended to others sites in Italy, and between 2004 and 2011 in Numana (AN) and Ravenna, 47 young adults with well-controlled type 1 diabetes obtained their first-level Open Water Diver (OWD) certification. No technical or medical trouble arose during the courses, in either pool or sea dives. This record confirms and reinforces previous reports about safety and well-being for diabetic divers. The training phase seems to offer a further safety feature, especially as regards the prevention of acute metabolic complications, and their management during immersion. As regards long-term effects on metabolic control, as have recently occurred for other "extreme" sports, scuba diving might well have good psychological effects: success in a sport requiring physical efficiency, precision, reliability and self-control in an "alien" environment can be valuable for boosting self-esteem and personal image. This may well also shift the patient's general attitude toward the illness, with encouraging consequences on the clinical course. To respond to coordination and organization requirements, in May 2011 we set up the Diabete Sommerso National As - sociation, with the additional aim of promoting and implement - ing further studies on diabetes and scuba diving. Thanks to close cooperation and the synergy developed with Diabete Italia, and its well-known attention to "all-field" problems of people with diabetes, the project's original mission has been partly modified in recent years, adding new, interesting educational aspects on intensive insulin treatment in particular contexts. This allows the project to be applied in a broader context, as an educational model for conscious self-management of the illness.
Bonomo, M., Valentini, U., Di Bartolo, P., Corigliano, G., Longobardi, P., Galetta, M., et al. (2012). "Diabete Sommerso": An evolving project. GIDM. GIORNALE ITALIANO DI DIABETOLOGIA E METABOLISMO, 32(3), 146-153.
"Diabete Sommerso": An evolving project
Di Bartolo P.;Corigliano G.;
2012
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes is commonly considered a contraindication for scuba diving, mainly on account of the risk of hypoglycemia. The Diabete Sommerso (Diabetes Underwater) project was launched in 2004 in Milan. The rationale was that, provided all the necessary safety conditions are satisfied, there are many good reasons for proposing this sport to young people with diabetes mellitus. Our aim was to confirm that, after a thorough, dedicated training program, well-controlled, complication-free diabetic patients can safely dive, without any additional medical and metabolic risks. The project was subsequently extended to others sites in Italy, and between 2004 and 2011 in Numana (AN) and Ravenna, 47 young adults with well-controlled type 1 diabetes obtained their first-level Open Water Diver (OWD) certification. No technical or medical trouble arose during the courses, in either pool or sea dives. This record confirms and reinforces previous reports about safety and well-being for diabetic divers. The training phase seems to offer a further safety feature, especially as regards the prevention of acute metabolic complications, and their management during immersion. As regards long-term effects on metabolic control, as have recently occurred for other "extreme" sports, scuba diving might well have good psychological effects: success in a sport requiring physical efficiency, precision, reliability and self-control in an "alien" environment can be valuable for boosting self-esteem and personal image. This may well also shift the patient's general attitude toward the illness, with encouraging consequences on the clinical course. To respond to coordination and organization requirements, in May 2011 we set up the Diabete Sommerso National As - sociation, with the additional aim of promoting and implement - ing further studies on diabetes and scuba diving. Thanks to close cooperation and the synergy developed with Diabete Italia, and its well-known attention to "all-field" problems of people with diabetes, the project's original mission has been partly modified in recent years, adding new, interesting educational aspects on intensive insulin treatment in particular contexts. This allows the project to be applied in a broader context, as an educational model for conscious self-management of the illness.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
