CEZARINA DINCU**, A. DEFTU**, MARIA-LUISA FLONTA**
*Naval Medicine Center, 19, 1 Mai Blvd, Constanţa, România
**Deptartment of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Bucharest, 91–95, Splaiul Independenţei, Bucharest, România
Abstract. In this study we have performed a retrospective survey of the records of blood biochemistry for a group of 16 professional divers in the “Divers Centrum of Constanţa”, over a 10 years period (2001–2010). In saturation diving, we have found progressive changes in serum enzymes and oxidative stress markers, suggesting a subclinical hepatic injury, as well as a progressive change of blood thyroxin (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations, indicating either a thyroid or a hepatic malfunction. Although the mean changes are not exceeding the upper or bottom normal limits of the considered biochemical parameters, that means they do not constitute a clinical alarm signal, they can lead to long term health effects which are to be considered in the interest of this workers category. The individual responses of the divers group which showed an enzymes concentration increase which exceeded the upper normal values in blood, can signalise an increased hyperbaric stress and it is advisable to follow more rigorously the health state of these individuals. The cumulative effect of the sub-clinical microlesions has to be considered as a potential risk of this professional category and has to be studied in order to decide if a professional disease is to be established.
Key words: saturation diving, hepatic enzymes, thyroid hormones, oxidative stress, platelets.