Decompression Sickness
What is decompression sickness?
Decompression sickness is a condition caused by the low air pressure at high altitudes, which allows nitrogen that is normally dissolved in your body to come out of solution and form bubbles in the blood and joints, causing severe pain. It's the same hazard scuba divers face—which is why flying soon after diving is dangerous, since it compounds the risk. Think of it as "the bends" hitting a pilot instead of a diver.
Also known as: DCS, the bends, decompression illness
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Related terms
- datum (reference datum)
- dead reckoning
- decision altitude
- decision height
- delamination
- density altitude
- departure procedure
- detonation