Probable decompression sickness in a trainee with atopic dermatitis

Hypobaric chamber training has a potential risk of inducing decompression sickness (DCS). A case of a patient with an atopic dermatitis who complained of paresthesia and numbness in his left arm and shoulder during the altitude exposure is presented here. His symptoms were severe enough for the attending medical officer to diagnose Type II DCS, but it turned out to be a probable case of simple skin bends requiring no treatment. The author can find no better explanation for this discrepancy than the contribution of dermatitis. The possibility of atopic dermatitis confounding the correct diagnosis of the severity of DCS is proposed.